Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), as a member of neurotrophin family, plays an important role in neurogenesis, neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity. BDNF is strongly expressed in the hippocampus, where has been associated with memory consolidation, learning, and cognition. In this study, Real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, and stereology were used to evaluate the gender differences and left-right asymmetries in the expression of BDNF in the developing rat hippocampus during the neurogenesis-active period, at postnatal days P0, P7 and P14. We found the lowest expression of BDNF in the right side and the highest in the left side hippocampi of both male and female neonates at P14 (P ≤ 0.05 each). At the same time, there were significant differences in the hippocampal expression of BDNF between males and females (P ≤ 0.05 each). No important differences in the number of BDNF expressing neurons in different subregions of right/left hippocampus were observed between male and female animals at P0 and P7 (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the highest numerical density of BDNF positive cells was detected in the both sides hippocampal CA1 in the male/female offspring at P7, and in the CA2, CA3 and dentate gyrus at P14 (P ≤ 0.05 each). Based on these findings, it can be concluded that there are prominent sex and interhemispheric differences in the expression of BDNF in the developing rat hippocampus, suggesting a probable mechanism for the control of gender and laterality differences in development, structure, and function of the hippocampus.
Highlights
Neuroanatomical and functional studies on central nervous system (CNS) have shown gender and interhemispheric asymmetries in some brain regions of both humans and Metab Brain DisRagbetli et al 2002)
A multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to investigate the effect of postnatal days (P0, P7 or P14), sex, laterality, and hippocampal subregions (CA1, CA2, CA3, or DG) on the mean number of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-immunoreactive cells per unit area (N/mm2, Figs. 2 and 3)
There were no differences in the number of BDNF- reactive neurons between left and right hippocampus proper subregions at postnatal day 0 (P0), whereas a higher number of immunoreactive cells observed in the DG of left hippocampi at the first day after birth
Summary
Neuroanatomical and functional studies on central nervous system (CNS) have shown gender and interhemispheric asymmetries in some brain regions of both humans and Metab Brain Dis. Various lines of evidence indicate gender and lateralized differences in hippocampal volume and in the morphology of hippocampal pyramidal cells (Bayer 1980; Thompson et al 2008; Murphy et al 1996; Ragbetli et al 2002). Results of the study by Lister et al (2006) have shown that the numbers of neurons in the right CA1 and CA2/3 areas of the rat brain are significantly less than of left hippocampus (Lister et al 2006). The exact mechanism mediating the sexual and interhemispheric differences in structure and function of the hippocampus remains unclear (Bowers et al 2010b; Pawluski et al 2009a; Galea 2008; Ormerod et al 2007)
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