Role of the Peripheral Vestibular System on Neuroplasticity Induced by Hypergravity Stimulation .
- Author:
Jae Hyo LEE
;
Gyoung Wan LEE
;
Han Su PARK
;
Jae Hee LEE
;
Dong Ok CHOI
;
Myoung Ae CHOI
;
Byung Rim PARK
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Hypergravity;
Neuronal plasticity;
Vestibule;
c-fos gene
- MeSH:
Animals;
Central Nervous System;
Dizocilpine Maleate;
Ganglion Cysts;
Genes, fos;
Gravitation;
Hippocampus;
Hypergravity*;
N-Methylaspartate;
Neuronal Plasticity*;
Plastics;
Rats;
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate;
RNA, Messenger;
Space Motion Sickness;
Up-Regulation;
Vestibular Nuclei
- From:Journal of the Korean Balance Society
2006;5(2):213-223
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Altered environmental gravity, including both hypo- and hypergravity, may result in space adaptation syndrome. To explore the characteristics of this adaptive plasticity, the expression of immediate early gene c-fos mRNA in the vestibular system following an exposure to hypergravity stimulus was determined in rats. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The animals were subjected to 2 G force (two-fold earth's gravity) stimulus for 3 hours, and were examined at post-stimulus hours 0, 2, 6, 12, and 24. Real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was adopted to analyze temporal changes in the expression of c-fos mRNA. RESULTS: The hypergravity stimulation produced the expression of c-fos mRNA in the vestibular ganglion, medial vestibular nucleus, inferior vestibular nucleus, hippocampus, vestibulocerebellum, and vestibular cortex. The peak expression occurred at hour 6 in the animals hypergravity-stimulated for 3 hours. Bilateral labyrinthectomy significantly attenuated the degree of up-regulation in c-fos mRNA expression. MK-801, an NMDA receptor antagonist, also significantly attenuated the degree of up-regulation in c-fos mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the adaptive neuroplasticity in response to an altered gravity occurs in the vestibular-related organs in the central nervous system, in which peripheral vestibular receptors and NMDA receptors play an important role.