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Updated: Nov 12, 2025
A Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Technique for Inducing Post-stroke Depression in Rats
Published on: May 22, 2019
Estrogen administration attenuates post-stroke depression by enhancing CREB/BDNF/TrkB signaling in the rat
Huigang Jiang1, Li Xiao2, Kunlin Jin3,4
1Department of Neurology, Yiwu City Center Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Yiwu, Zhejiang 322000, P.R. China.
Abstract:
A previous study demonstrated that 17β-estradiol (E2), which is an antidepressant, can ameliorate post-stroke depression (PSD); however, the underlying mechanisms governing this remain largely unknown. Therefore, the present study developed a PSD model in rats, which was induced by left middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by exposure to chronic mild stress for 2 weeks. The results revealed that the activity of the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), a cellular transcription factor, and the associated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) signaling were all attenuated in the hippocampus in PSD rats. The depression-like behaviors were significantly improved after treatment with E2, along with increased CREB and the BDNF/TrkB signaling activity. These results provide novel insight into the molecular basis of PSD, and suggest the potential involvement of CREB/BDNF/TrkB signaling in E2-mediated improvement of PSD in rats.
