Activation of Arc gene, a dendritic immediate early gene, by middle cerebral artery occlusion in rat brain

THE effect of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion on the activity-regula ted cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) mRNA expression has been investig ated using in situ hybridization. It was induced in the extensive regions o f cerebral cortex, medial striatum, and distant areas such as the ipsilater al lateral septal nucleus, bilateral hippocampal formation and contralatera l amygdala following MCA occlusion. In the amygdala following MCA hippocamp al formation, it was induced in the granule cell layer and the stratum pyra midale at 1h and in the molecular layer and in the stratum oriens and strat um radiatum bilaterally at 4h. MK-801 pretreatment strongly attenuated the induction of Are mRNA. The present results suggest that Are may play an imp ortant role in the neuronal plasticity through NMDA activation following fo cal cerebral ischemia. NeuroReport 10:1717-1722 (C) 1999 Lippincott William s & Wilkins.