Neurovascular Plasticity

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的30年里，人们越来越认识到，成人可塑性是一种基本机制，是从损伤后恢复到学习和记忆的许多脑过程的基础，涉及大脑的多个层次，包括突触、神经元、神经元回路、代表性地图，甚至支持代谢和血管系统。神经元可塑性的增强作为神经障碍和损伤的治疗手段尚未得到充分利用，尽管这种治疗是更常规治疗的有吸引力的替代方案，因为它们几乎没有副作用（如果有的话）。可塑性可以用来保护大脑免受损伤吗？我们提出的假设，一种类型的可塑性，神经血管可塑性，可以利用完全保护缺血性损伤的皮质。拟议的多方面研究旨在详细量化，以进一步回答与成年和老年大鼠的功能，代谢，组织学，血管和行为水平上的神经血管可塑性及其潜在机制保护相关的特定假设。 公共卫生相关性：大脑，尤其是皮质，是塑料的（即，易变的），如从损伤恢复到学习和记忆的许多脑过程所证明的。可塑性是否可以被进一步利用来保护它免受脑损伤？基于我们实验室的新发现，我们提出了一种假设，即一种类型的可塑性，神经血管可塑性，确实可以被利用来完全保护成年和老年大鼠的缺血性损伤（中风）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): For the last 30 years, there has been a growing recognition that adult plasticity is a fundamental mechanism underlying a host of brain processes ranging from recovery after injury to learning and memory and involves multiple levels of the brain including synapses, neurons, neuronal circuits, representational maps, and even supporting metabolic and vascular systems. Enhancement of neuronal plasticity as a means of treatment of neurological disorders and injuries has not been fully utilized, although such treatments are an attractive alternative to more conventional treatments because they have few, if any, side effects. Could plasticity be exploited for protection from brain injury? We propose the hypothesis that one type of plasticity, neurovascular plasticity, could be exploited to completely protect the cortex from ischemic injury. The proposed multifaceted study is designed for detailed quantification to further answer specific hypotheses related to protection by neurovascular plasticity and its underlying mechanisms at the functional, metabolic, histological, vascular, and behavioral levels in both adult and old rats. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The brain, and especially the cortex, is plastic (i.e., mutable) as demonstrated for many brain processes ranging from recovery from injury to learning and memory. Could plasticity be further exploited to protect it from brain injury? Based on new findings from our laboratory, we propose the hypothesis that one type of plasticity, neurovascular plasticity, could indeed be exploited to completely protect the ischemic injury (stroke) in adult and old rats.