Advances in the Mechanism of Enriched Environment Improving Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion-induced Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-induced cognitive impairment (CCHCI) is a cognitive deficit caused by cerebral cortex or subcortical infarction, white matter degeneration, blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, and hippocampal injury due to long-term hypoperfusion of the brain. Clinical evidence shows that there is still no effective pharmacological treatment for CCHCI. But numerous animal studies have demonstrated that enriched environment can alleviate brain tissue damage caused by chronic hypoperfusion and promote nerve growth and functional recovery in ischemic brain areas. We reviewed the latest advances in the use of enriched environment as a non-drug intervention for CCHCI in animal models via regulating autophagy and epigenetic mechanisms to inhibit oxidative stress, protect the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, promote neurovascular reconstruction and stimulate synaptic plasticity. We hope the review could provide new ideas for the treatment and clinical research of CCHCI to reverse CCHCI-induced neurological impairment and improve cognitive impairment.

Keywords

• cognition disorders|brain ischemia|chronic hypoperfusion|environmental enrichment|epigenomics|trauma, nervous system|review