Alexander Trofimov » Публикация

Аннотация Birth injuries, brain ischemia, hypoxia, allergic and contagious diseases sustained in early childhood frequently result in cognitive disorders of children and adults. These pathological states are accompanied with increased production of cytokines specifically interleukin-1β (Il-1β) in cells of nervous and immune systems. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of increased level of Il-1β in early postnatal ontogenesis on spatial memory in distant future. Subjects were male rats, Wistar. Recombinant human Il-1β was injected in moderate pyrogenic doses 1 µg/kg by course during the third week of life. Rats injected with saline in the same period were used as a control. Spatial memory of sexually mature animals (age 2.5 months) was tested using Morris water maze – a round tank, 1.5 m in diameter, filled with water mixed with milk to make it opaque. In the spatial memory experiment, rats were trained to find the location of a hidden platform, submerged 1 cm below the water surface, using visual cues located on the inner sides of the tank. Training consisted of four trials per day, with 15-minutes breaks between trials, for four days. On the fifth day of the experiment, the platform was removed and a probe trial was conducted: rats were placed in the maze for 90 s, in which the number of crosses over the former position of the platform as well as over an equal area at the center of the maze was recorded. A video camera above the pool was connected to a computerized tracking system that monitored the latency to reach the platform, the path length, and the swimming speed in each trial. Analysis of rats’ behaviour showed the most experimental animals’ complication of shaping of hidden platform finding. Experimental rats are also notable for their greater rigidity of conditioned activity. Thus, the increased level of Il-1β in early postnatal ontogenesis leads to spatial memory derangements and greater rigidity of conditioned activity in distant future. Supported by RFBR Grant № 08-04-01335.