Distribution of phosphorylated Elk-1 in rat brain after Y-maze active avoidance training in a temporal manner

R3; BACKGROUND: Elk-1 mRNA distributes extensively in the neurons of mice, rat and human brains, and the Elk-1 expression may be correlated with the synaptic plasticity, learning and memory.OBJECTIVE: To observe the distribution of phosphorylated Elk-1 (pElk-1) in whole brain of rats received Y-maze active avoidance training and the changes of pElk-1 expression at different time points after training.DESIGN: A randomized controlled study.SETTING: Research Room of Neurobiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University.MATERIALS: Fifty-five male clean-degree SD rats of 3-4 months old, weighing 200-250 g, were provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Southern Medical University. The rabbit anti-monoclonal pElk-1 antibody was purchased from Cell Signal Transduction Company, and ABC kit from Vector Company.METHODS: The experiments were carried out in the Research Room of Neurobiology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University from September 2004 to February 2005. ① Grouping: The rats were randomly divided into training group (n = 25), sham-training group (n = 25) and norm al control group (n = 5), and the training and sham-training groups were observed at 0, 1, 3, 6 and 24 hours after training, which represented the five phases in the process of learning and memory. ② Y-maze training: The rats were preconditioned in the electrical Y-maze apparatus, 20 minutes a day for 3 days continuously, and training began from the 4th day. In the training group, the rats were trained with the combination of light and electricity. Each rat repeated for 60 times in each training, and the correct times were recorded, those correct for less than 25 times were taken as unqualified, and excluded from the training group, and supplemented by other rats in time. In the sham-training group, there was no fixed correlation between the application of light and electricity. The rats in the normal control group were given not any training. ③Detection of pElk-1 expression: The rats were anesthetized after Y-maze training, brain tissue was removed to prepare coronal freezing sections, and the pElk-1 expression was detected with routine ABC method.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Distribution of pElk-1 immuno-positive neurons in whole brain of rats in the normal control group. ② Comparison of the expression of pElk-1 immuno-positive neurons in whole brain at different time points after training between the training group and sham-training group.RESULTS; All t