Advanced search

Search results      


Cranial Manipulation Affects Neuronal Gene Expression, Explaining the Improved Cognitive Ability in an Animal Model of Age-related Cognitive Decline

Journal: The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association Date: 2020/12, 120(12):Pages: e49. doi: Subito , type of study: animal experiment

Full text    (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7556/jaoa.2020.157/html)

Keywords:

animal experiment [60]
cognitive decline [2]
cranio-sacral osteopathy [184]
geriatrics [53]
neurodegeneration [2]

Abstract:

Statement of Significance: Neurodegeneration with age is a devastating disorder afflicting a rapidly growing older population around the world. Although there is no cure for it or even a treatment to slow its progression, pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies, such as COM, can treat the associated symptoms. However, COM is not generally prescribed for treating neurodegenerative disorders due to limited evidence for its efficacy, and the lack of a sound scientific explanation. Here we show that COM may be an effective treatment for these disorders, and provide a molecular level mechanistic explanation for the observed cognitive improvement. Research Methods: We use an animal model for age-related cognitive decline (aged rats) to determine if COM can improve cognitive ability. The cognitive ability of 18 animals (9 treated and 9 untreated) were measured using the Morris water maze assay. The assay consisted of four days of training followed by four days of testing. Following the tests, the animals were euthanized and tissue samples collected from the dorsal end prefrontal cortex. RNA was extracted from the tissue samples and sequenced to determine the effect of COM treatment on gene expression levels. Data Analysis: Videos of the water maze assay were analyzed using software from ANImaze, to calculate time, distance, speed and paths taken by individual animals. Statistical significance of differences in performance between treated and untreated animals was determined by 2-tailed unpaired t test. Gene expression levels were calculated from RNA sequencing reads using the Cufflinks software suite. Statistical significance of differences in gene expression between samples from treated and untreated animals was determined by the false discovery rate (Benjamini-Hochberg procedure). Results: We show that, in an animal model for age-related cognitive decline (aged rats), COM significantly affects the expression of 54 genes in the neuronal pathway (FDR<0.004), which can explain their better performance on the Morris water maze assay compared with untreated animals (p-value<0.01). In addition, 40% of the most significant differentially expressed genes have been previously implicated in neurological disorders. Conclusion: There is extensive evidence that mechanical stress can stimulate activity in neuronal cells. We speculate that COM induced change in intracranial pressure promotes the differential expression of neuronal pathway genes and improved cognitive ability. The differentially expressed genes provide a mechanistic explanation for the reported benefits of COM and justification for a robust double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial to investigate COM as a therapeutic option for neurodegenerative disorders. With clinical validation, COM could represent a much needed therapy for these debilitating disorders.


Search results      

 
 
 






  • ImpressumLegal noticeDatenschutz


ostlib.de/data_uqykjmtsaxnwzgcdfepv



Supported by

OSTLIB recommends