Nurturing brain plasticity: impact of environmental enrichment.
Cell Death Differ
; 17(7): 1092-103, 2010 Jul.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20019745
ABSTRACT
Environmental enrichment (EE) is known to profoundly affect the central nervous system (CNS) at the functional, anatomical and molecular level, both during the critical period and during adulthood. Recent studies focusing on the visual system have shown that these effects are associated with the recruitment of previously unsuspected neural plasticity processes. At early stages of brain development, EE triggers a marked acceleration in the maturation of the visual system, with maternal behaviour acting as a fundamental mediator of the enriched experience in both the foetus and the newborn. In adult brain, EE enhances plasticity in the cerebral cortex, allowing the recovery of visual functions in amblyopic animals. The molecular substrate of the effects of EE on brain plasticity is multi-factorial, with reduced intracerebral inhibition, enhanced neurotrophin expression and epigenetic changes at the level of chromatin structure. These findings shed new light on the potential of EE as a non-invasive strategy to ameliorate deficits in the development of the CNS and to treat neurological disorders.
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Sujet principal:
Encéphale
/
Environnement
/
Plasticité neuronale
Limites:
Animals
/
Humans
Langue:
En
Journal:
Cell Death Differ
Année:
2010
Type de document:
Article
Pays d'affiliation:
Italie