Title:Folic Acid Can Contribute to Memory Deficit and Na+, K+- ATPase Failure in the Hippocampus of Adolescent Rats Submitted to Hypoxia- Ischemia
Volume: 15
Issue: 1
Author(s): Jaqueline Vieira Carletti, Bruna Ferrary Deniz, Joseane Jiménez Rojas, Patrícia Maidana Miguel, Janaína Kolling, Emilene Barros Scherer, Angela Teresinha de Souza Wyse, Carlos Alexandre Netto and Lenir Orlandi Pereira
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Behavior, brain damage, folate, perinatal asphyxia, spatial memory, vitamin supplementation.
Abstract: Recent findings have demonstrated a dual effect of the folic acid (FA) supplementation on
the nervous system of rats. We found that FA treatment prevented memory impairment and Na+, K+-
ATPase inhibition in the striatum and cortex in adult rats that suffered neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI). However, spatial
memory deficit has been associated with FA supplementation. In the present study we investigated the role of FA
supplementation on spatial memory and Na+, K+-ATPase activity in the hippocampus, as well as on morphologic
alterations in adolescent rats submitted to neonatal HI. Wistar rats of both sexes at postnatal day (PND) 7 were submitted
to Levine-Rice HI procedure. Intraperitoneal doses of FA were administered immediately before HI and repeated daily
until the maximum PND 40. Hippocampal volume and striatum area were estimated and Na+, K+-ATPase activity in the
hippocampus was measured at PND 31. Also, the performance of the animals in the water maze was assessed and Na+, K+-ATPase activity measured again at PND 52. Interestingly, HI and FA resulted in spatial memory deficits in the Morris
water maze and the Na+, K+-ATPase activity was impaired at PND 31 in HI rats which received FA. Additionally, Na+,
K+-ATPase activity in adulthood showed a decrease after HI and a recovery in supplemented animals. Hippocampal and
striatal atrophy were partially reversed by FA. To conclude, the present results support the hypothesis that FA
supplementation during development contributes to memory deficits caused by HI and Na+, K+-ATPase failure in
adolescent rats, although, in adulthood, FA has been effective in reversing enzymatic activity in the hippocampus.
