Neurogenesis of forebrain subventricular zone in rats after transient focal cerebral ischemia

Objective: To observe the rule of neurogenesis of forebrain subventricular zone (SVZ) after transient focal cerebral ischemia.Methods: SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:control group, sham group and ischemic group;the last group was further divided into 5 groups:1,4,7,10,14 d after ischemia. The focal cerebral ischemia model was made by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). S phase cells were labelled with BrdU, an analogue of thymidine. Immunohistochemistry method was used to detect the BrdU positive cells; the total nuclear area of BrdU positive cells in the SVZ was also measured.Results:There was a significant increase of BrdU positive nuclear areas in SVZ of ischemic side on 4 d. The total positive nuclear area of BrdU immunoreactive cells reached a peak on 7 d, then started to decline, but was still higher than that of the control group. The same was ture in of SVZ the contralateral side, and the number peaked on 10 d.Conclusion:Transient focal cerebral ischemia can enhance the neurogenesis of SVZ, suggesting that the adult rat cerebrum may have self-renovation capacity.