Estratégias para prevenção de déficits cognitivos associados à deprivação maternal

Abstract

Maternal deprivation is a potent stressor in the early life of mammalian, leading to several cognitive deficits that remain until adulthood. Among the mechanisms involved in these deficits are the oxidative imbalance and the alterations in some proteins, such as Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), events that can occur in different brain regions, as the hippocampus, the main region responsible for the memory formation and consolidation. This master thesis investigated the effects of different neuroprotective strategies (physical exercise, green tea supplementation, and environmental enrichment) on memory deficits related to maternal deprivation (MD). To evaluate the mnemonic function was used an animal model of MD (using Wistar rats) and the object recognition, inhibitory avoidance and Morris water maze memory tests. To evaluate hippocampal redox balance we quantified the reactive oxygen species (ROS), the thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), the glutathione levels (GSH) and the total antioxidant capacity (FRAP), as well as determine the acetylcholinesterase activity and the BDNF levels. Our results show that physical exercise and green tea are effective neuroprotective antioxidant strategies in a MD model. They also demonstrate that environmental enrichment is capable to reverse the deleterious effects of MD by increasing BDNF levels. These results reveal the possibility of using these interventions as a neuroprotection strategy.