A cognitive rehabilitation paradigm effective in male rats lacks efficacy in female rats.

ABSTRACT: Cognitive dysfunction, as a consequence of dementia, is a significant cause of morbidity lacking efficacious treatment. Females comprise at least half of this demographic but have been vastly underrepresented in preclinical studies. The current study addressed this gap by assessing the protective efficacy of physical exercise and cognitive activity on learning and memory outcomes in a rat model of vascular dementia. Forty ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats (∼6 months old) were exposed to either a diet high in saturated fats and refined sugars or standard laboratory chow and underwent either chronic bilateral carotid occlusion or Sham surgery. Learning and memory abilities were evaluated using standard cognitive outcomes over the ensuing 6 months, followed by histologic analyses of hippocam

SUBMITTER: Langdon KD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4269728 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature