O uso diário do ambiente enriquecido previne o dano cognitivo em ratos wistar adultos induzidos a meningite pneumocócica no período infantil

Abstract

Bacterial meningitis is characterized by the occurrence of an infectious process in the meninges. The more severe infection is meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, affecting mainly the extremes of age where children are especially vulnerable. This study aims to evaluate the effects of enriched environment about behavioral parameters in adult Wistar rats submitted to pneumococcal meningitis during childhood. Wistar rats at 11 days of life were induced to pneumococcal meningitis via cisterna magna, with inoculation of 10 μl of sterile saline or an equivalent volume of a suspension of S. pneumoniae (1x106 cfu/ml). In 21 days of life were placed in an enriched environment until they reach adulthood, 60 days of life and they were subjected to behavioral tests of habituation to the open field and inhibitory avoidance task. In the test of habituation to the open field in the training session there was no difference between groups in the number crossing and rearing, showing no impairment in motor and exploratory activity. In meningitis group, there was no difference in the number of crossing and rearing in training session and test session, demonstrating impairment in habituation memory. The groups sham, sham/enriched environment and meningitis/enriched environment showed difference in test session and training, demonstrating habituation memory in these groups. In evaluate aversive memory in training session there was no difference in latency period between groups showing. In meningitis group there was no difference between the training session and the test session demonstrating impaired in memory retention aversive in this group. In group sham, sham/enriched environment and meningitis/enriched environment there was difference between the training session and the test session showing that there was memory retention. Our results found that the use of enriched environment in animals induced by meningitis, proved effective in the recovery of habituation and aversive memory, demonstrating that it has a neuroprotective effect and it was able to reverse the damage caused by meningitis.