Tooth loss, cognitive impairment and chronic cerebral ischemia

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Vascular factor is an important risk factor in the process of cognitive impairment or dementia. Tooth loss could cause impairments of spatial learning and memory in mice, and nitric oxide (NO) and its synthase might be involved in the process. The objectives of this study were to investigate and compare the behavioral impairments between the Wistar rats with tooth loss and those with chronic ischemia and to determine the changes in nitric oxide (NO) and its synthases under those two conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Morris water maze was used to test the spatial learning and memory abilities in the Wistar rats 8 weeks after the molar extraction procedure and the occlusion of 2 blood vessels to produce cerebral ischemia. The changes in NO and its synthases were evaluated using the Griess assay, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Similar impairments in the spatial learning and memory of Wistar rats were found after tooth loss and the induction of cerebral ischemia. The levels of NO and iNOS in the rat hippocampus increased, and the levels of eNOS decreased. Conclusion: For Wistar rats, the results of cognitive impairments related to tooth loss and those that occur due to chronic cerebral ischemia were statistically not significant and that NO, iNOS and eNOS in the hippocampus are involved in both cases.