The role of Nogo-A in memory and neuronal plasticity in the aged rodent brain
by Gillani, Rebecca Lynn, Ph.D., LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO, 2011, 198 pages; 3456241

Abstract:

The long-term effects of stroke often include cognitive impairments, but other than cognitive rehabilitation, which is often not fully successful, there is no intervention to treat cognitive impairments in stroke survivors. Our laboratory has previously shown that immunotherapy directed against the Nogo-A protein, which is enriched on oligodendrocytes, improves recovery of skilled forelimb sensorimotor function in adult and aged rats after an ischemic stroke lesion to the sensorimotor cortex. Furthermore, this recovery was correlated with axonal sprouting from intact pathways to denervated areas, as well as dendritic sprouting and increased dendritic spine density in the contralateral sensorimotor cortex. In the present project we aimed to investigate whether anti-Nogo-A immunotherapy improves performance on a spatial memory task after a sensorimotor cortical stroke in aged rats. We found that rats with ischemic stroke and treated with anti-Nogo-A immunotherapy performed better on the reference memory portion of the Morris water maze than control antibody treated rats. In the hippocampus, a brain area important for spatial memory, we found a decrease in dendritic complexity on the same side as the stroke when compared to normal aged rats. However, anti-Nogo-A immunotherapy did not prevent this decrease in dendritic complexity in the hippocampus on the same side as the stroke lesion. To further investigate whether Nogo-A plays a role in dendritic structural plasticity, and specifically the Nogo-A found in neurons, we used RNA interference to reduce the levels of Nogo-A in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells in aged rats. We did not detect any changes in dendritic spine density and morphology. Taken together this suggests that anti-Nogo-A immunotherapy may be a successful treatment for cognitive impairments caused by stroke, although the potential neuroanatomical basis for this recovery is still under investigation.

 
AdviserGwendolyn L. Kartje
SchoolLOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
SourceDAI/B 72-08, p. , Jun 2011
Source TypeDissertation
SubjectsNeurosciences; Aging
Publication Number3456241
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3456241
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.