Gender differences in ontogenetic development, behavior and energy metabolism in rats subjected to neonatal anoxia: focus on the hippocampus, hypothalamus, leptin and glia cels

Abstract

The neonatal anoxia, a global clinical problem has been studied in Neuroscience Laboratory ICB-USP, with a model developed, adapted and already validated. These studies showed deleterious effects in the hippocampus of rats sbjected to neonatal anoxia that persist into adulthood, such as higher immunoreactivity astrocytes, neuronal death in the hippocampus by apoptosis and necrosis, altered neurogenesis rate, reduced brain volume, which corroborates spatial memory impairment and an increase in behaviors like anxiety, age dependent, and loss of spatial memory. In anoxic animals was observed weight gain compared to control, as well as increased rostrocaudal and nasoanal diameters, already evident in the first weeks of breastfeeding. These data suggest involvement of the hypothalamus structure directly related to energy metabolism and also with somatic parameters, suggesting further possible gender differences in the responses to anoxic stimulation. These are the questions that this study plans to address with somatic maturation assessment, sensorimotor and behavioral as well as immunohistochemistry and stereology of neuronal activation, OBRb the leptin receptor and glial response: astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes. Understanding the structures and mechanisms involved in this neonatal anoxia model aims to contribute to the identification of windows to possible interference or actions that minimize or reduce symptoms from the effects of this injury is this socio-educational and public health concern. (AU)