Kin-Ya Kubo1, Akifumi Ogasawara2, Hiroko Tsugane2, Mitsuo Iinuma2, Toru Takahashi3, Kagaku Azuma4. 1. Graduate School of Human Life Science, Nagoya Women's University, 3-40 Shioji-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8610, Japan. Electronic address: kubo@nagoya-wu.ac.jp. 2. Departments of Pediatric Dentistry, Asahi University School of Dentistry, 1851 Hozumi, Mizuho, Gifu, 501-0296, Japan. 3. 10 Sue-machi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, 920-1392, Faculty of Nutrition, Department of Nutrition, Kanazawa Gakuin University, Japan. 4. Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyusyu, 807-8555, Japan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Prolonged mild stress due to tooth loss leads to morphologic and functional alterations of the hippocampus, as well as cognitive memory impairments in aged animals. An enriched environment improves stress-induced hippocampus-dependent cognitive impairments. The potential mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of an enriched environment, however, remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether an enriched environment affects morphologic remodeling of the hippocampal myelin, synapses, and spatial learning deficits caused by tooth loss in aged senescence-accelerated mouse strain P8 (SAMP8) mice. DESIGN: SAMP8 mice (8 months old) with either teeth intact or teeth extracted were raised in a standard or enriched environment for three weeks. Spatial learning and memory ability was evaluated in a Morris water maze test. The morphologic features of the myelin sheath and synapses in the hippocampus were investigated by electron microscopy. RESULTS: Mice with tooth loss had a thinner myelin sheaths and shorter postsynaptic densities in the hippocampal CA1 region, and impaired hippocampus-dependent spatial learning ability. Exposure to an enriched environment ameliorated the hypomyelination and synaptic alterations, and spatial learning and memory impairments induced by tooth loss in aged SAMP8 mice. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that an enriched environment ameliorates hippocampal hypomyelination and synapse morphologic abnormalities, as well as learning deficits induced by tooth loss in aged SAMP8 mice.
OBJECTIVE: Prolonged mild stress due to tooth loss leads to morphologic and functional alterations of the hippocampus, as well as cognitive memory impairments in aged animals. An enriched environment improves stress-induced hippocampus-dependent cognitive impairments. The potential mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of an enriched environment, however, remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether an enriched environment affects morphologic remodeling of the hippocampal myelin, synapses, and spatial learning deficits caused by tooth loss in aged senescence-accelerated mouse strain P8 (SAMP8) mice. DESIGN: SAMP8 mice (8 months old) with either teeth intact or teeth extracted were raised in a standard or enriched environment for three weeks. Spatial learning and memory ability was evaluated in a Morris water maze test. The morphologic features of the myelin sheath and synapses in the hippocampus were investigated by electron microscopy. RESULTS:Mice with tooth loss had a thinner myelin sheaths and shorter postsynaptic densities in the hippocampal CA1 region, and impaired hippocampus-dependent spatial learning ability. Exposure to an enriched environment ameliorated the hypomyelination and synaptic alterations, and spatial learning and memory impairments induced by tooth loss in aged SAMP8 mice. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that an enriched environment ameliorates hippocampal hypomyelination and synapse morphologic abnormalities, as well as learning deficits induced by tooth loss in aged SAMP8 mice.