The regulating effect of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor on neural synaptic plasticity in a rat model of chronic cerebral ischemia / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor is an ionic glutamate receptor which is closely related with the neural synaptic plasticity, and also can regulate neural synaptic plasticity. OBJECTIVE:To explore the mechanism by which N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits NR2A and NR2B regulate neural synaptic plasticity after cerebral ischemia. METHODS: 60 Wister rats were randomly and evenly divided into a sham-operated group and a cerebral ischemia group. Rat models of chronic cerebral ischemia were established using the modified bilateral common carotid artery occlusion method in the cerebral ischemia group, while rats in the sham-operated group did not undergo occlusion of the common carotid artery and vagus nerve. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:At 0-12 hours after chronic cerebral ischemia, NR2A expression in the rat hippocampus was gradualy decreased, while the expression of NR2B reached its peak level at 4 hours after cerebral ischemia. Under the circumstance of cerebral ischemia, neither low frequency nor high frequency induced long-term potentiation. These findings suggest that NR2B exhibit inhibitory effect, while NR2A exhibit promoting effect on long-term potentiation induced by stimulation.