EXPLORING THE NEUROPLASTIC EFFECTS OF ENRICHED ENVIRONMENTS IN JUVENILE HYDROCEPHALIC RATS

An enriched environment combines enhanced sensory, cognitive, physical, and social stimulation, and has been shown to promote neuroplasticity and functional recovery in several neurological conditions. Juvenile hydrocephalus is associated with long-term cognitive and motor impairments, despite surgical diversion. We aimed to investigate neuroplastic and neuroprotective effects of enriched environments in juvenile hydrocephalic rats.
Forty-eight juvenile Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups (n=12): Control, Enriched Environment (EE), Hydrocephalus, and Hydrocephalus plus EE. Hydrocephalus was induced by intracisternal kaolin injection. The rats were evaluated during early (2 weeks) and late (6 weeks) phases. Neurobehavioral assessments included Morris Water Maze, Novel Object Recognition, Open Field, and Hanging Wire Tests to evaluate learning, memory, locomotion, and muscular strength. Histological analysis of the brain was performed following Cresyl violet and Golgi staining and immunohistochemical stain with Synaptophysin. Data were analyzed with significance set at p < 0.05.
Hydrocephalic rats exhibited significant impairments in learning, memory, locomotor activity, and muscular strength compared with control animals, accompanied by marked neuronal degeneration, increased pyknosis and reduced synaptic densities in all examined brain regions. Hydrocephalic rats exposed to EE had reduced cognitive and locomotor deficits, more pronounced during the early phase of exposure. Histological findings revealed reduced neuronal degeneration and preserved cytoarchitectural organization relative to hydrocephalic rats housed under standard conditions.
Exposure to enriched environments improves cognitive and behavioral outcomes and attenuates neuronal degeneration in juvenile hydrocephalus. These findings support the potential role of environmental enrichment as a non-invasive adjunctive strategy for improving neurodevelopmental outcomes in hydrocephalus.