Changes in dendritic morphology and spine density in motor cortex of the adult rat after stroke during infancy

Cognitive and motor deficits are pervasive in children that suffer early brain injury. The aim of this study was to determine the impact that early damage has on dendritic spine density and other aspects of dendritic morphology of neurons in the motor cortex. Also of interest was how changes in dendritic structure evolved across the lifespan. Ischemia was induced in 10-day-old Long Evans rats by injection of Rose Bengal dye and a laser positioned over right motor cortex. Animals were sacrificed at two and six months of age, and brains were processed for Golgi-Cox staining. Animals exposed to early damage exhibited increases in length of basilar dendrites at two months of age, however no differences in spine density were found across groups at this age. At six months of age, injured animals demonstrated an overall decrease in apical and basilar spine density. Our results suggest that the changes in dendritic length and spine density observed after early damage are unable to be maintained as the animal ages. The observation that increases in spine density do not necessarily coincide with increases in dendritic length suggests that the two processes may not be dependent on one another and suggest two independent plasticity processes responding to damage.