Hippocampal iron overload and spatial reference memory impairment: Insights from a rat model

IF 2.5 4区医学 Q3 NEUROSCIENCES

Neuroscience Letters Pub Date : 2024-10-22 DOI:10.1016/j.neulet.2024.138014

Yihao Sun , Bin Tian , Jiali Liang , Meiru Bu , Xi Deng , Kemei Deng , Muliang Jiang , Bihong T. Chen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Brain iron overload may induce neuronal death and lead to cognitive impairment. The hippocampus is a critical limbic structure involved in memory. This study aimed to investigate iron overload and its role in hippocampal damage and memory impairment using a rat model.

Methods

Young rats (2 weeks old) received intraperitoneal injections of high-dose iron solution (Group H, n = 10), low-dose iron solution (Group L, n = 10) and normal saline as control (Group D, n = 5). The Morris water maze (MWM) test was performed on all rats to evaluate their spatial reference memory by assessing their escape latency time and number of platform crossing. The iron content and neuronal damage in hippocampal tissue sections of the rats were assessed semi-quantitatively using diaminobenzidine (DAB)-enhanced Perl’s Prussian blue (PPB) staining, and their correlation with spatial reference memory performance was evaluated.

Results

The escape latency in Group H was significantly longer compared to Groups L and D (P < 0.05). The number of platform crossings was significantly lower in Group H than in Group L or D (P < 0.001). The neuronal cells in Group H had more brown iron deposits than those of Groups L and D. There were significant correlations between the severity of structural damage in the hippocampal tissue and the number of platform crossings (P₁ = 0.001 for Group H; P₂ = 0.043 for Group L).

Conclusion

This study showed an association between hippocampal iron-induced structural damage and spatial reference memory impairment in a rat model. This work should advance our understanding of hippocampal iron overload on cognitive functioning.

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海马铁超载与空间参照记忆障碍：大鼠模型的启示

背景：大脑铁超载可能诱发神经元死亡并导致认知障碍。海马是参与记忆的重要边缘结构。本研究旨在利用大鼠模型研究铁超载及其在海马损伤和记忆障碍中的作用：幼鼠（2 周大）腹腔注射高剂量铁溶液（H 组，n = 10）、低剂量铁溶液（L 组，n = 10）和生理盐水作为对照（D 组，n = 5）。对所有大鼠进行莫里斯水迷宫（MWM）测试，通过评估其逃逸潜伏时间和穿越平台的次数来评价其空间参照记忆。采用二氨基联苯胺（DAB）增强珀尔普鲁士蓝（PPB）染色法对大鼠海马组织切片中的铁含量和神经元损伤进行半定量评估，并评价其与空间参照记忆表现的相关性：结果：与 L 组和 D 组相比，H 组的逃避潜伏期明显更长（H 组 P1 = 0.001；L 组 P2 = 0.043）：结论：这项研究表明，在大鼠模型中，海马铁诱导的结构损伤与空间参照记忆损伤之间存在关联。结论：这项研究表明，在大鼠模型中，海马铁诱导的结构性损伤与空间参照记忆损伤之间存在关联。这项工作将促进我们对海马铁超载对认知功能影响的理解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Neuroscience Letters 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

408

审稿时长

50 days

期刊介绍： Neuroscience Letters is devoted to the rapid publication of short, high-quality papers of interest to the broad community of neuroscientists. Only papers which will make a significant addition to the literature in the field will be published. Papers in all areas of neuroscience - molecular, cellular, developmental, systems, behavioral and cognitive, as well as computational - will be considered for publication. Submission of laboratory investigations that shed light on disease mechanisms is encouraged. Special Issues, edited by Guest Editors to cover new and rapidly-moving areas, will include invited mini-reviews. Occasional mini-reviews in especially timely areas will be considered for publication, without invitation, outside of Special Issues; these un-solicited mini-reviews can be submitted without invitation but must be of very high quality. Clinical studies will also be published if they provide new information about organization or actions of the nervous system, or provide new insights into the neurobiology of disease. NSL does not publish case reports.