Traumatic brain injury (TBI) curtails quality of life by compromising cognitive function. We hypothesize that reduced cognitive capacity following TBI is the result of dysfunction in the molecular mechanisms that support synaptic plasticity. This compromises the capacity of cells to process, transmit, and store information, thereby ultimately affecting higher order functions such as learning and memory. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has a critical action in all of these events - thus, we propose a physiological means to modulate the capacity of the brain to compensate for secondary insults, by using BDNF as a central mechanism. Encouraged by our original findings that physical activity induces BDNF in the intact brain, we propose that exercise can be employed to improve functional recovery after TBI. It is, therefore, a central goal of this proposal to link exercise with neurotrophins and optimize the exercise-induced expression of endogenous BDNF that can boost functional recovery following brain trauma. Emerging evidence suggests that trophic interactions driven by neural activity mediate diverse processes, such as neuronal resilience and synaptic function, that may underlie CNS healing and learning/memory. An important and novel aspect of our paradigm incorporates the finding that, in addition to helping neuronal survival, BDNF plays a significant role in synaptic plasticity. Given that our main objective is to apply exercise to benefit the TBI condition, the design of our studies takes into consideration how the period of energy crisis, characterizing the acute phase of the traumatically injured brain, may interfere with exercise. A positive outcome of these studies would open a new line of therapeutic treatments for TBI patients that upregulates endogenous neurotrophins. Most intervention procedures for TBI have focused on adding exogenous substances into the brain, thereby ignoring the intrinsic capacity of the brain for plasticity. Given that the majority of clinical trials have not resulted in a positive effect on outcome, we feel it is time to re-think the concept of inducing recovery of function. Therefore, the unique aspect of our proposal is to evaluate experience as a modulator of neuronal plasticity that can be used to enhance functional recovery following TBI.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS045804-04
Application #
7485668
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BDCN-D (01))
Program Officer
Hicks, Ramona R
Project Start
2005-04-01
Project End
2009-01-31
Budget Start
2008-02-01
Budget End
2009-01-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$1
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Physiology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
092530369
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095
Chytrova, Gabriela; Ying, Zhe; Gomez-Pinilla, Fernando (2008) Exercise normalizes levels of MAG and Nogo-A growth inhibitors after brain trauma. Eur J Neurosci 27:1-11
Gomez-Pinilla, Fernando (2008) The influences of diet and exercise on mental health through hormesis. Ageing Res Rev 7:49-62
Vaynman, S; Ying, Z; Gomez-Pinilla, F (2007) The select action of hippocampal calcium calmodulin protein kinase II in mediating exercise-enhanced cognitive function. Neuroscience 144:825-33
Gomez-Pinilla, F; Huie, J R; Ying, Z et al. (2007) BDNF and learning: Evidence that instrumental training promotes learning within the spinal cord by up-regulating BDNF expression. Neuroscience 148:893-906
Ghiani, Cristina A; Ying, Zhe; de Vellis, Jean et al. (2007) Exercise decreases myelin-associated glycoprotein expression in the spinal cord and positively modulates neuronal growth. Glia 55:966-75
Wu, Aiguo; Ying, Zhe; Gomez-Pinilla, Fernando (2006) Oxidative stress modulates Sir2alpha in rat hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Eur J Neurosci 23:2573-80
Ding, Q; Vaynman, S; Akhavan, M et al. (2006) Insulin-like growth factor I interfaces with brain-derived neurotrophic factor-mediated synaptic plasticity to modulate aspects of exercise-induced cognitive function. Neuroscience 140:823-33
Vaynman, Shoshanna S; Ying, Zhe; Yin, Dali et al. (2006) Exercise differentially regulates synaptic proteins associated to the function of BDNF. Brain Res 1070:124-30
Vaynman, S; Ying, Z; Wu, A et al. (2006) Coupling energy metabolism with a mechanism to support brain-derived neurotrophic factor-mediated synaptic plasticity. Neuroscience 139:1221-34
Ding, Qinxue; Vaynman, Shoshanna; Souda, Puneet et al. (2006) Exercise affects energy metabolism and neural plasticity-related proteins in the hippocampus as revealed by proteomic analysis. Eur J Neurosci 24:1265-76

Showing the most recent 10 out of 14 publications