caa a22 4500 445376090 CHVBK 20180317143002.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s00702-010-0496-2 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s00702-010-0496-2 Combination of intracortically administered VEGF and environmental enrichment enhances brain protection in developing rats [Elektronische Daten] [Naiara Ortuzar, Enrike Argandoña, Harkaitz Bengoetxea, José Lafuente] Postnatal development of the visual cortex is modulated by experience, especially during the critical period. In rats, a stable neuronal population is only acquired after this relatively prolonged period. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most important angiogenic factor and also has strong neuroprotective, neurotrophic and neurogenic properties. Similar effects have been described for rearing in enriched environments. Our aim is to investigate the vascular and neuronal effects of combining VEGF infusion and environmental enrichment on the visual cortex during the initial days of the critical period. Results showed that a small percentage of Cleaved Caspase-3 positive cells colocalized with neuronal markers. The lesion produced by the cannula implantation resulted in decreased vascular, neuronal and Caspase-3 positive cell densities. Rearing under enriched environment was unable to reverse these effects in any group, whereas VEGF infusion alone partially corrected those effects. A higher effectiveness was reached by combining both the procedures, the most effective combination being when enriched-environment rearing was introduced only after minipump implantation. In addition to the angiogenic effect of VEGF, applied strategies also had synergic neuroprotective effects, and the combination of the two strategies had more remarkable effects than those achieved by each strategy applied individually. Springer-Verlag, 2010 Critical period nationallicence Enriched environment nationallicence Neuroprotection nationallicence Neurovascular unit nationallicence VEGF nationallicence Visual system nationallicence Ortuzar Naiara Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (LaNCE), Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, E48940, Leioa, Spain aut Argandoña Enrike Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (LaNCE), Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, E48940, Leioa, Spain aut Bengoetxea Harkaitz Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (LaNCE), Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, E48940, Leioa, Spain aut Lafuente José Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (LaNCE), Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, E48940, Leioa, Spain aut Journal of Neural Transmission Springer Vienna 118/1(2011-01-01), 135-144 0300-9564 118:1<135 2011 118 702 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-010-0496-2 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-010-0496-2 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ortuzar Naiara Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (LaNCE), Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, E48940, Leioa, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Argandoña Enrike Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (LaNCE), Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, E48940, Leioa, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Bengoetxea Harkaitz Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (LaNCE), Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, E48940, Leioa, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Lafuente José Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (LaNCE), Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, E48940, Leioa, Spain aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Journal of Neural Transmission Springer Vienna 118/1(2011-01-01), 135-144 0300-9564 118:1<135 2011 118 702 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer