Behavioral changes in ischemic gerbils induced by exposure to nicotine and forced continuous treadmill training

Abstract

Ischemic stroke is responsible for approximately 80% of all worldwide stroke cases. To study and advance the knowledge of ischemic processes, experimental models of brain ischemia become fundamental. Among the possibilities of non-pharmacological treatment after ischemia, treadmill training is one of the tools investigated in the literature. Recently, in our laboratory, we began investigating the effect of drug association with treadmill training after experimental ischemia. Thus, the present study aims to analyze the effects of doses of 1 and 4 mg/kg nicotine on motor behavior, post-brain ischemia in gerbils submitted to treadmill training. 72 Mongolian Gerbils will be used, distributed in 6 groups: Sham Salina + Exercise, Sham Nicotine dose of 4 mg/kg + Exercise, Sham Nicotine dose of 1 mg/kg + Exercise, Saline Ischemia, Ischemia Nicotine dose of 4 mg/kg Exercise, Nicotine Ischemia dose of 1 mg/kg Exercise. Three days before the experimental surgery, the animals will receive the intraperitoneal dose of 1 or 4mg/kg of nicotine. All animals will be stimulated on a motorized treadmill for rodents after global brain ischemia for five consecutive days, with an intensity of 5 m/min and a total duration of 15 minutes. The behavioral assessment will begin 24 hours after the last motor stimulation on the treadmill. An acrylic activity monitor and the rotarod test will be used. The activity monitor and rotarod test data will be analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Holm-Sidak post hoc test. The level of significance will be adopted p <0.05.