Lesion-induced and activity-dependent structural plasticity of Purkinje cell dendritic spines in cerebellar vermis and hemisphere

摘要: Neuroplasticity allows the brain to encode experience and learn behaviors, also re-acquire lost functions after damage. The cerebellum is a suitable structure address this topic because of its strong involvement in learning processes compensation lesion-induced deficits. This study was aimed characterize effects hemicerebellectomy (HCb) combined or not with exposition environmental enrichment (EE) on dendritic spine density size Purkinje cell proximal distal compartments cerebellar vermian hemispherical regions. Male Wistar rats were housed enriched standard environments from 21st post-natal day (pnd) onwards. At 75th pnd, submitted HCb sham lesion. Neurological symptoms spatial performance Morris water maze evaluated. end testing, morphological analyses assessed density, area, length, head diameter cells. All hemicerebellectomized (HCbed) showed motor compensation, but standard-reared HCbed animals exhibited cognitive impairment that almost completely compensated rats. decreased augmented spines vermis, both hemisphere. Enriched maintained induced by EE. Both activity-dependent plastic changes may be interpreted as “beneficial” reactions, support behavioral rescuing.