Behavioral changes associated with loss of NSPC-derived VEGF in vivo after KA induced excitotoxic injury

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2021-05

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The Ohio State University

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Abstract

Seizures are sudden abnormal electrical activity in the brain that lead to excitotoxic tissue damage, changes in mood and behavior, and even death. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to protect against seizure and excitotoxic injury in rats. We have recently shown that neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) produce a significant amount of the VEGF in the dentate gyrus (DG). In order to study the contribution of NSPC produced VEGF in modulating seizures and their sequelae, we used VEGFfl/flNestinCreERT2 mice in a kainic acid (KA) induced excitotoxicity model. Using VEGFfl/flNestinCreERT2 mice following tamoxifen (TAM) injection allows for the inducible knock down (KD) of VEGF in NSPCs. After either KA or vehicle treatment, mice were given hippocampus-dependent behavioral tests consisting of a novel arm test in a Y maze, an object location test (OLT), and an elevated plus maze (EPM). Analysis of the novel arm test and the OLT confirm that the KA treatment impaired memory. Surprisingly, NSPC-specific VEGF KD seems to result in decreased memory at baseline compared to control mice and may or may not be further impacted by excitotoxic injury. Analysis of the EPM suggests that VEGF KD and KA treatment had no effects on mice's anxiety-like behavior. Elucidating the functional effects of NSPC-derived factors such as VEGF in the context of injury is a critical step to understanding how stem cells modulate brain function and will aid in the successful implementation of NSPCs as therapeutic agents.

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NSPCs, VEGF, hippocampus, behavior, excitotoxicity, seizure

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