Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) may lead to the
cognitive dysfunction, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear.
EGB761, extracted from Ginkgo biloba and as a phytomedicine widely used in the world, has been showed to have various neuroprotective roles and mechanisms, and
therapeutic effects in
Alzheimer's disease and other
cognitive dysfunctions. However, improvements in cognitive function after CCH, following treatment with
EGB761, have not been ascertained yet. In this study, we used the behavior test, electrophysiology, neurobiochemistry, and immunohistochemistry to investigate the
EGB761's effect on CCH-induced
cognitive dysfunction and identify its underlying mechanisms. The results showed that
EGB761 ameliorates spatial
cognitive dysfunction occurring after CCH. It may also improve impairment of the long-term potentiation, field excitable potential, synaptic transmission, and the transmission synchronization of neural circuit signals between the entorhinal cortex and hippocampal CA1.
EGB761 may also reverse the inhibition of neural activity and the degeneration of dendritic spines and synaptic structure after CCH; it also prevents the downregulation of synaptic
proteins molecules and pathways related to the formation and stability of dendritic spines structures.
EGB761 may inhibit axon
demyelination and ameliorate the inhibition of the mTOR signaling pathway after CCH to improve
protein synthesis. In conclusion,
EGB761 treatment after CCH may improve spatial cognitive function by ameliorating synaptic plasticity impairment, synapse degeneration, and axon
demyelination by rectifying the inhibition of the mTOR signaling pathway.