NgR1 pathway expression in cerebral ischemic Sprague-Dawley rats with cognitive impairment

OBJECTIVE(S): This study aimed to determine the effect of ischemic occlusion duration and recovery time course on motor and cognitive function, identify optimal conditions for assessing cognitive function with minimal interference from motor deficits, and elucidate the underlying mechanism of axonal inhibitors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly allocated to the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) 60-min (tMCAO60min), tMCAO90min, tMCAO120min, and sham groups. We conducted forelimb grip strength, two-way shuttle avoidance task, and novel object recognition task (NORT)tests at three time points (14, 21, and 28 days). Expression of Nogo receptor-1 (NgR1), the endogenous antagonist lateral olfactory tract usher substance, ras homolog family member A (Rho-A), and RhoA-activated Rho kinase (ROCK) was examined in the ipsilateral thalamus. RESULTS: There was no difference in grip strength between sham and tMCAO(90min) rats at 28 days. tMCAO(90min) and tMCAO(120min )rats showed lower discrimination indices in the NORT than sham rats on day 28. Compared with that in sham rats, the active avoidance response rate was lower in tMCAO(90min) rats on days 14, 21, and 28 and in tMCAO(120min )rats on days 14 and 21. Furthermore, 50-54% of rats in the tMCAO(90min )group developed significant cognitive impairment on day 28, and thalamic NgR1, RhoA, and ROCK expression were greater in tMCAO(90min) rats than in sham rats. CONCLUSION: Employing 90-min tMCAO in SD rats and assessing cognitive function 28 days post-stroke could minimize motor dysfunction effects in cognitive function assessments. Axonal inhibitor deregulation could be involved in poststroke cognitive impairment.