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Housing Complexity Alters GFAP-Immunoreactive Astrocyte Morphology in the Rat Dentate Gyrus
Joint Authors
Salois, Garrick
Smith, Jeffrey S.
Source
Issue
Vol. 2016, Issue 2016 (31 Dec. 2016), pp.1-11, 11 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2016-02-18
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
11
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Rats used in research are typically housed singly in cages with limited sensory stimulation.
There is substantial evidence that housing rats in these conditions lead to numerous neuroanatomical and behavioral abnormalities.
Alternatively, rats can be housed in an enriched environment in which rats are housed in groups and given room for exercise and exploration.
Enriched environments result in considerable neuroplasticity in the rodent brain.
In the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, enriched environments evoke especially profound neural changes, including increases in the number of neurons and the number of dendritic spines.
However, whether changes in astrocytes, a type of glia increasingly implicated in mediating neuroplasticity, are concurrent with these neural changes remains to be investigated.
In order to assess morphological changes among astrocytes of the rat dentate gyrus, piSeeDB was used to optically clear 250 μm sections of tissue labeled using GFAP immunohistochemistry.
Confocal imaging and image analysis were then used to measure astrocyte morphology.
Astrocytes from animals housed in EE demonstrated a reduced distance between filament branch points.
Furthermore, the most complex astrocytes were significantly more complex among animals housed in EE compared to standard environments.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Salois, Garrick& Smith, Jeffrey S.. 2016. Housing Complexity Alters GFAP-Immunoreactive Astrocyte Morphology in the Rat Dentate Gyrus. Neural Plasticity،Vol. 2016, no. 2016, pp.1-11.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1113117
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Salois, Garrick& Smith, Jeffrey S.. Housing Complexity Alters GFAP-Immunoreactive Astrocyte Morphology in the Rat Dentate Gyrus. Neural Plasticity No. 2016 (2016), pp.1-11.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1113117
American Medical Association (AMA)
Salois, Garrick& Smith, Jeffrey S.. Housing Complexity Alters GFAP-Immunoreactive Astrocyte Morphology in the Rat Dentate Gyrus. Neural Plasticity. 2016. Vol. 2016, no. 2016, pp.1-11.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1113117
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1113117