The Impact of Sodium Deprivation on Microglia Levels in Response to Chorda Tympani Nerve Transection in Developing Rats
Advisor Information
Suzanne Sollars
Location
UNO Criss Library, Room 249
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
4-3-2016 3:00 PM
End Date
4-3-2016 3:15 PM
Abstract
Transection of gustatory nerves, such as the bilaterally-represented chorda tympani nerve (CT), is a commonly used model to study neuroplasticity. Four days following CT transection (CTX) in adult rats, resident immune cell of the central nervous system, microglia, respond robustly at points of synapse of the CT in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). Diets low in sodium impact the immune response in the peripheral gustatory system, but it is unclear if this same phenomena occurs in the centrally. Adult rats were injected with the diuretic furosemide and placed on a low sodium diet for four days following CTX. Control rats underwent an identical surgery, but received saline injections and consumed a normal diet. Brains were then extracted, fixed, and sectioned at 40 µ prior to immunohistochemical processing for ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1), an established microglia marker. Iba1+ microglia were counted using an epifluorescent microscope as well as the program Neurolucida (MBF Bioscience) and the microglia in the NTS of the transected and intact sides were compared between low sodium and normal diet animals. Preliminary data indicates that while there was a significant effect of CTX in control animals (p = .02), this effect was not observed in low sodium animals (p = .07). These results indicate that sodium may play a role in moderating the immune response to nerve injury in the central nervous system. Further data will need to be collected to determine if this trend persists over a larger sample.
The Impact of Sodium Deprivation on Microglia Levels in Response to Chorda Tympani Nerve Transection in Developing Rats
UNO Criss Library, Room 249
Transection of gustatory nerves, such as the bilaterally-represented chorda tympani nerve (CT), is a commonly used model to study neuroplasticity. Four days following CT transection (CTX) in adult rats, resident immune cell of the central nervous system, microglia, respond robustly at points of synapse of the CT in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). Diets low in sodium impact the immune response in the peripheral gustatory system, but it is unclear if this same phenomena occurs in the centrally. Adult rats were injected with the diuretic furosemide and placed on a low sodium diet for four days following CTX. Control rats underwent an identical surgery, but received saline injections and consumed a normal diet. Brains were then extracted, fixed, and sectioned at 40 µ prior to immunohistochemical processing for ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1), an established microglia marker. Iba1+ microglia were counted using an epifluorescent microscope as well as the program Neurolucida (MBF Bioscience) and the microglia in the NTS of the transected and intact sides were compared between low sodium and normal diet animals. Preliminary data indicates that while there was a significant effect of CTX in control animals (p = .02), this effect was not observed in low sodium animals (p = .07). These results indicate that sodium may play a role in moderating the immune response to nerve injury in the central nervous system. Further data will need to be collected to determine if this trend persists over a larger sample.