Speaker Biography

Amer Al Ansari

Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain

Title: Cuprizone-induced demyelination in rats and the cognitive function of the brain: Effect of environmental enhancement

Biography:

Abstract:

Impairment in cognitive functioning and motor activity are commonly encountered in patients affected by MS. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of induced depression on cuprizone mouse model of demyelination and the effectiveness of enhanced environment (EE) as a method of intervention. C57BL/6 male mice were divided into cuprizone only (Cup-O), cuprizone undergoing depression (Cup-Dep), cuprizone housed in EE (Cup-EE), cuprizone housed in EE and undergoing depression (Cup-ED) and control groups (9 to 10 per group). Depression was induced by repeated open-space forced swim. Neurobehavioral tests were conducted after a six-week period of 0.2% cuprizone-enriched diet. Cup-EE performed significantly better in fields of cognition and motor functioning when compared to Cup-O as evident by Morris water maze (p<0.001) and rotarod (p<0.05) results. Contrariwise, Cup-Dep showed a significantly declined performance in Morris water maze (p<0.001) and rotarod (p<0.05) in comparison to Cup-O. Cup-ED had comparable results to Cup-O indicating reversal of induced depression effects. Open field test results failed to show an anxiety-like behavior in cuprizone mouse model. It is concluded that environmental enhancement can improve MS-associated cognitive and motor deficits. Insights gained from these results facilitate the exploration of non-medical modes of intervention as an emerging adjuvant therapy in MS.