IBCN   20355
INSTITUTO DE BIOLOGIA CELULAR Y NEUROCIENCIA "PROFESOR EDUARDO DE ROBERTIS"
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Environmental enrichment influences oligodendrocyte lineage proliferation and benefits behavioural alterations in the VPA model of autism spectrum disorders.
Autor/es:
UCCELLI NA; ROSATO SIRI MV; PASQUINI J; TRAETTA ME; ZÁRATE S; CODAGNONE MG; LACOUR JV; REINÉS A
Lugar:
Mar del Plata
Reunión:
Congreso; LXIII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica; 2018
Institución organizadora:
Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica (SAIC)
Resumen:
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disabilities characterized by alterations in brain connectivity. The valproic acid (VPA) model of ASD resembles behavioural characteristics of these disorders and evidences of altered brain connectivity. Oligodendrocytes are specialized glial cells responsible of axonal tracts myelination, a fundamental process for connectivity of neural circuits. It is known that myelination is influenced by the environment. Since corpus callosum (CC) is the main structure that connects both brain hemispheres, the aim of this work was to evaluate the glial profile in the CC of VPA rats, and the therapeutic effects of an environmental enrichment (EE) strategy on the behaviour and oligodendrocyte lineage of these animals. On PND 21, VPA and control rats were weaned and housed in standard (C-S/V-S) or enriched (C-EE/V-EE) environment. Behaviour was evaluated in two stages: on early postnatal days (PND) 7-16 and on juvenile stage (PND 30-36). On PND 36, expression levels of GFAP and tomato lectin, and number of PDGF+ and CC1+ cells were evaluated. Myelin sheet ultrastructure was studied by electron microscopy. VPA animals presented behavioural deficits in juvenile stages that were prevented by EE. Number of mature oligodendrocytes (CC1+) was diminished in the CC of VPA animals, accompanied with an increment in the number of immature oligodendrocytes (PDGF+). This was in the absence of astrogliosis (GFAP) or microgliosis (tomato lectin). CC ultrastructure of VPA rats exhibited a decreased percentage of myelinated axons and an aberrant myelin sheet. When VPA animals were raised in EE, myelin ultrastructural alterations were fully prevented, number of immature oligodendrocytes reached control levels with no changes in number of mature oligodendrocytes. Our results demonstrate that EE is an effective strategy for modulating behaviour and myelination in VPA rats. Also, this work suggests that EE affects the proliferation of oligodendrocytes in VPA animals.