Neurovascular Plasticity

描述(申请人提供)：在过去的30年里，越来越多的人认识到，成人的可塑性是一系列大脑过程的基本机制，从损伤后的恢复到学习和记忆，涉及大脑的多个层面，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。增强神经元可塑性作为治疗神经疾病和损伤的一种手段尚未得到充分利用，尽管这种治疗方法是较传统治疗方法的一种有吸引力的替代方案，因为它们几乎没有副作用。可塑性可以被用来保护大脑免受损伤吗？我们提出的假设是，一种可塑性，神经血管可塑性，可以被利用来完全保护皮质免受缺血损伤。这项拟议的多方面研究旨在进行详细的量化，以进一步回答与神经血管可塑性及其在功能、代谢、组织学、血管和行为水平上的潜在机制有关的具体假说。 与公共健康相关：大脑，尤其是大脑皮质，是可塑性的(即，可变的)，从受伤到学习和记忆的许多大脑过程都证明了这一点。可塑性能否被进一步利用来保护它免受脑损伤？根据我们实验室的新发现，我们提出了一种假说，即神经血管可塑性确实可以被用来完全保护成年和老年大鼠的缺血性损伤(卒中)。

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.