Fluoxetine prevents the memory deficits and reduction in hippocampal cell proliferation caused by valproic acid

Publication date: Available online 9 September 2016 Source:Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy Author(s): Jariya Umka Welbat, Preeyanuch Sangrich, Apiwat Sirichoat, Pornthip Chaisawang, Wunnee Chaijaroonkhanarak, Parichat Prachaney, Wanassanun Pannangrong, Peter Wigmore Valproic acid (VPA), a commonly used antiepileptic drug, has been reported to cause cognitive impairments in patients. In a previous study, using a rodent model, we showed that VPA treatment impaired cognition which was associated with a reduction in the cell proliferation required for hippocampal neurogenesis. The antidepressant fluoxetine has been shown to increase hippocampal neurogenesis and to reverse the memory deficits found in a number of pathological conditions. In the present study we investigated the protective effects of fluoxetine treatment against the impairments in memory and hippocampal cell proliferation produced by VPA. Male Sprague Dawley rats received daily treatment with fluoxetine (10mg/kg) by oral gavage for 21 days. Some rats were co-administered with VPA (300mg/kg, twice daily i.p. injections) for 14days from day 8 to day 21 of the fluoxetine treatment. Spatial memory was tested using the novel object location (NOL) test. The number of proliferating cells present in the sub granular zone of the dentate gyrus was quantified using Ki67 immunohistochemistry at the end of the experiment. Levels of the receptor Notch1, the neurotrophic factor BDNF and the neural differentiation marke...
Source: Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research