Vagus nerve stimulation ameliorates cognitive impairment caused by hypoxia.

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q2 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience Pub Date : 2025-06-06 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1555229

Birendra Sharma, Krysten A Jones, Laura K Olsen, Raquel J Moore, Frances S Curtner, Candice N Hatcher-Solis

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: Hypoxia significantly impairs cognitive function due to the brain's high demand for oxygen. While emerging evidence suggests that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can enhance cognition, its effectiveness in mitigating behavioral and molecular impairments caused by hypoxia remains unknown. This study investigated whether VNS could alleviate hypoxia-induced deficits in cognitive performance and neurotrophin expression in rats.

Methods: Healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups: sham, hypoxia, and VNS + hypoxia. VNS was delivered during hypoxia (8% oxygen) exposure using 100 μs biphasic pulses at 30 Hz and 0.8 mA. Cognition and performance were assessed by behavioral testing and hippocampal tissue was collected for molecular analysis. NGF and BDNF mRNA levels were measured by quantitative PCR, and protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry.

Results: The passive avoidance test (PAT) performance was significantly reduced by hypoxia exposure compared to the sham group, and administration of VNS during hypoxia ameliorated this impairment. Hypoxia significantly reduced NGF and BDNF mRNA levels in the hippocampus 24 h post-exposure. VNS restored NGF mRNA to sham levels and partially increased BDNF mRNA. Immunohistochemistry results showed VNS significantly restored NGF protein expression in the hippocampus, while BDNF levels remained unchanged.

Discussion: These findings suggest that VNS may serve as a promising intervention for cognitive impairments induced by hypoxia.

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迷走神经刺激可改善缺氧引起的认知障碍。

由于大脑对氧气的高需求，缺氧会严重损害认知功能。虽然越来越多的证据表明迷走神经刺激（VNS）可以增强认知，但其在减轻缺氧引起的行为和分子损伤方面的有效性尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨迷走神经刺激是否能减轻缺氧引起的大鼠认知能力和神经营养因子表达缺陷。方法：将健康雄性Sprague-Dawley大鼠随机分为假手术组、缺氧组和VNS +缺氧组。在缺氧（8%氧）条件下，使用100 μs双相脉冲，30 Hz， 0.8 mA给药。通过行为测试评估认知和表现，并收集海马组织进行分子分析。定量PCR检测NGF和BDNF mRNA水平，免疫组织化学检测蛋白表达。结果：与假手术组相比，低氧暴露显著降低了被动回避测试（PAT）的表现，并且在低氧期间给予VNS改善了这种损害。缺氧显著降低暴露24小时后海马中NGF和BDNF mRNA水平。VNS将NGF mRNA恢复到假手术水平，并部分增加BDNF mRNA。免疫组化结果显示，VNS显著恢复海马NGF蛋白表达，而BDNF水平保持不变。讨论：这些发现表明，VNS可能作为一种有希望的干预缺氧引起的认知障碍。

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

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES-NEUROSCIENCES

CiteScore

4.70

自引率

3.30%

发文量

506

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience is a leading journal in its field, publishing rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying behavior. Field Chief Editor Nuno Sousa at the Instituto de Pesquisa em Ciências da Vida e da Saúde (ICVS) is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international experts. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians and the public worldwide. This journal publishes major insights into the neural mechanisms of animal and human behavior, and welcomes articles studying the interplay between behavior and its neurobiological basis at all levels: from molecular biology and genetics, to morphological, biochemical, neurochemical, electrophysiological, neuroendocrine, pharmacological, and neuroimaging studies.