Source Paper
Environmental enrichment strengthens corticocortical interactions and reduces amyloid-β oligomers in aged mice
Marco Mainardi, Angelo Di Garbo, Matteo Caleo, Nicoletta Berardi, et al.
Source Paper
Marco Mainardi, Angelo Di Garbo, Matteo Caleo, Nicoletta Berardi, et al.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience • 2014
Brain aging is characterized by global changes which are thought to underlie age-related cognitive decline. These include variations in brain activity and the progressive increase in the concentration of soluble amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers, directly impairing synaptic function and plasticity even in the absence of any neurodegenerative disorder. Considering the high social impact of the decline in brain performance associated to aging, there is an urgent need to better understand how it can be prevented or contrasted. Lifestyle components, such as social interaction, motor exercise and cognitive activity, are thought to modulate brain physiology and its susceptibility to age-related pathologies. However, the precise functional and molecular factors that respond to environmental stimuli and might mediate their protective action again pathological aging still need to be clearly identified. To address this issue, we exploited environmental enrichment (EE), a reliable model for studying the effect of experience on the brain based on the enhancement of cognitive, social and motor experience, in aged wild-type mice. We analyzed the functional consequences of EE on aged brain physiology by performing in vivo local field potential (LFP) recordings with chronic implants. In addition, we also investigated changes induced by EE on molecular markers of neural plasticity and on the levels of soluble Aβ oligomers. We report that EE induced profound changes in the activity of the primary visual and auditory cortices and in their functional interaction. At the molecular level, EE enhanced plasticity by an upward shift of the cortical excitation/inhibition balance. In addition, EE reduced brain Aβ oligomers and increased synthesis of the Aβ-degrading enzyme neprilysin. Our findings strengthen the potential of EE procedures as a non-invasive paradigm for counteracting brain aging processes.
Objective: Comparison of behavioral and neurobiological outcomes in mice reared in standard cages versus enriched environments with physical exercise equipment and manipulable objects
This is a Environmental Enrichment Exposure protocol using mouse as the model organism. The procedure involves 8 procedural steps, 2 equipment items, 4 materials. Extracted from a 2014 paper published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
mouse • C57BL/6J • male • Young mice (from birth) and aged mice (17 months) • Not specified
Study window
~1 week study window
Core workflow
Housing setup for aged mice - Standard condition • Electrode implantation in aged mice • Housing setup for aged mice - Enriched condition
Primary readouts
Key equipment and reagents
Verified items
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Age-matched control mice (17 months old) were housed in standard cages (SC-OLD group)
Note: These served as controls for aged enriched environment mice
“Age-matched mice reared in SC were used as controls (SC-OLD group)”
Electrodes were implanted in aged mice prior to enrichment exposure
Note: Procedure details not provided in this section
“Aged mice (age 17 months, EE-OLD group) were placed in EE for one month after electrode implantation”
Aged mice (17 months old) were placed in enriched environment cages (EE-OLD group) following electrode implantation
Note: Enriched cages contained running wheel and manipulable objects
“Aged mice (age 17 months, EE-OLD group) were placed in EE for one month after electrode implantation”
Brain samples were collected from aged mice after one month in enriched environment
Note: Timing relative to enrichment exposure completion not specified
“Aged mice (age 17 months, EE-OLD group) were placed in EE for one month after electrode implantation, then brain samples were collected”
Pregnant dams were placed in enriched environment cages 1 week before delivery together with 2-3 non-pregnant helper females (EE-YOUNG group)
Note: Dams remained in EE with helper females during pregnancy and postpartum period
“pregnant dams were put either in EE 1 week before delivery together with 2–3 non-pregnant helper females”
Pregnant dams were left in standard cages with no helper females (SC-YOUNG group)
Note: Standard cages had no helper females, unlike enriched condition
“or left in SC, in the latter case with no helper females”
Pups from both enriched and standard housing conditions were weaned
Note: Weaning age was standardized across both conditions
“Pups were weaned at postnatal day (P) 25”
Objects in enriched environment cages were repositioned and substituted on a regular schedule
Note: Maintenance continued throughout housing period to maintain novelty
“differently shaped objects (tunnels, shelters, stairs) that were repositioned twice a week and completely substituted once a week”
This section explains what the experiment is doing, which readouts matter, what the data artifacts usually look like, and how the analysis should flow from raw capture to reported result.
Comparison of behavioral and neurobiological outcomes in mice reared in standard cages versus enriched environments with physical exercise equipment and manipulable objects
Objective
Comparison of behavioral and neurobiological outcomes in mice reared in standard cages versus enriched environments with physical exercise equipment and manipulable objects
Subjects
From papermouse • C57BL/6J • male • Young mice (from birth) and aged mice (17 months) • Not specified
Cohort notes
From paperAged mice (EE-OLD and SC-OLD groups) and young mice (EE-YOUNG and SC-YOUNG groups) were compared
Housing setup for aged mice - Standard condition (Not specified)
Electrode implantation in aged mice (Not specified)
Housing setup for aged mice - Enriched condition (One month)
Brain sample collection from aged mice (Not specified)
Brain samples (collected from aged mice)
From paperNot mentioned in this section
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Behavioral outcomes (implied but not specified in this section)
From paperNot mentioned in this section
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Brain samples (collected from aged mice)
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Behavioral outcomes (implied but not specified in this section)
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Acquisition
Collect raw experimental outputs with enough metadata to preserve sample identity, condition, and timing.
Preprocessing / cleaning
Not mentioned in this section
Scoring or quantification
Quantify the primary readouts for this experiment: Brain samples (collected from aged mice); Behavioral outcomes (implied but not specified in this section).
Statistical comparison
Statistical method not yet structured for this page.
Reporting output
Report representative outputs alongside summary comparisons for Brain samples (collected from aged mice), Behavioral outcomes (implied but not specified in this section).
Source links and direct wording from the methods section for validation and deeper review.
Citation
Marco Mainardi et al. (2014). Environmental enrichment strengthens corticocortical interactions and reduces amyloid-β oligomers in aged mice. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
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