Environmental enrichment(EE)is a significant approach to influencing brain function by altering the environment and changing living conditions and has been shown to modulate mood-related diseases,including depression....Environmental enrichment(EE)is a significant approach to influencing brain function by altering the environment and changing living conditions and has been shown to modulate mood-related diseases,including depression.Among the elderly,depression is particularly prevalent and is often linked to social isolation.However,the specific role of EE in social isolation-related geriatric depression remains imprecise.This study was intended to explore the status of EE exposure in geriatric depression and to uncover its underlying mechanisms.We utilized 19-month-old male C57BL/6J mice,which are equivalent to humans aged 50−60 years,and induced depression through social isolation.After 2 weeks of social isolation,mice were identified as depressive by using the sugar preference test and then classified into either standard or enrichment environment groups for 4 weeks.Subsequently,conventional indices associated with depression,including neurogenesis,neurotrophic factors,and neuroinflammation,were measured.Results display that EE alleviated the depressive-like symptoms in elderly mice and enriched their social activities.Concurrently,EE regulated levels of certain neurotransmitters in the hippocampus,including the systems of glutamate,tyrosine,and histamine.Moreover,the ability of neurogenesis also increased in the hippocampus of EE mice.At the neuroinflammation level,the activation of Natural Killer(NK)cells and ARG1^(+)microglia is considered a major contributor to mediating the effects of EEregulated geriatric depression.Collectively,these results underline the importance of EE in the treatment of geriatric depression and partially elucidate its underlying mechanism,offering valuable suggestions for treating social isolation--related depression via environmental modulation.展开更多
Background This study examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly immigrants from China's Mainland to Canada and the impact of various psychosocial factors as predictors of the number of depressi...Background This study examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly immigrants from China's Mainland to Canada and the impact of various psychosocial factors as predictors of the number of depressive symptoms reported by the elderly Chinese immigrants Methods The participants were 444 elderly immigrants who migrated from China's Mainland to Canada They were a part of a random sample of 2272 elderly Chinese living in the communities and took part in a face-to-face interview to answer questions in an orally administrated questionnaire The depressive symptoms of the participants were measured by a Chinese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale Data obtained from the 444 elderly Chinese immigrants was analyzed to assess the impact of various psychosocial factors on the number of depressive symptoms that they reported Results The findings indicated that 23 2% of the elderly immigrants were assessed to have some depressive symptoms When other predicting variables were adjusted, elderly immigrants with more chronic illnesses, less positive attitude towards ageing, poorer physical health, less adequate financial situation, lower level of ethnic identification as Chinese, more service barriers, lower level of life satisfaction, shorter length of residency in Canada and those who lived alone tended to have more depressive symptoms Conclusions The findings indicate that the prevalence rate of depressive symptoms among our elderly immigrant sample is higher than the one reported in a general elderly population While further research is recommended to examine the reasons for such a difference, culturally appropriate health services, including health promotion programs, should be promoted to reduce mental health disparities展开更多
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82073520)the Beijing Natural Science Foundation Program and Scientific Research Key Program of Beijing Municipal Commission o f Education(KZ201810025032)the Support Project of High-level Teachers in Beijing Municipal Universities in the Period of 13th Five-year Plan(CIT&TCD 20170323).
文摘Environmental enrichment(EE)is a significant approach to influencing brain function by altering the environment and changing living conditions and has been shown to modulate mood-related diseases,including depression.Among the elderly,depression is particularly prevalent and is often linked to social isolation.However,the specific role of EE in social isolation-related geriatric depression remains imprecise.This study was intended to explore the status of EE exposure in geriatric depression and to uncover its underlying mechanisms.We utilized 19-month-old male C57BL/6J mice,which are equivalent to humans aged 50−60 years,and induced depression through social isolation.After 2 weeks of social isolation,mice were identified as depressive by using the sugar preference test and then classified into either standard or enrichment environment groups for 4 weeks.Subsequently,conventional indices associated with depression,including neurogenesis,neurotrophic factors,and neuroinflammation,were measured.Results display that EE alleviated the depressive-like symptoms in elderly mice and enriched their social activities.Concurrently,EE regulated levels of certain neurotransmitters in the hippocampus,including the systems of glutamate,tyrosine,and histamine.Moreover,the ability of neurogenesis also increased in the hippocampus of EE mice.At the neuroinflammation level,the activation of Natural Killer(NK)cells and ARG1^(+)microglia is considered a major contributor to mediating the effects of EEregulated geriatric depression.Collectively,these results underline the importance of EE in the treatment of geriatric depression and partially elucidate its underlying mechanism,offering valuable suggestions for treating social isolation--related depression via environmental modulation.
基金ThisstudywasfundedbytheSocialSciencesandHumanitiesResearchCouncilofCanada (No .82 8 1999 10 3 2 )
文摘Background This study examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly immigrants from China's Mainland to Canada and the impact of various psychosocial factors as predictors of the number of depressive symptoms reported by the elderly Chinese immigrants Methods The participants were 444 elderly immigrants who migrated from China's Mainland to Canada They were a part of a random sample of 2272 elderly Chinese living in the communities and took part in a face-to-face interview to answer questions in an orally administrated questionnaire The depressive symptoms of the participants were measured by a Chinese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale Data obtained from the 444 elderly Chinese immigrants was analyzed to assess the impact of various psychosocial factors on the number of depressive symptoms that they reported Results The findings indicated that 23 2% of the elderly immigrants were assessed to have some depressive symptoms When other predicting variables were adjusted, elderly immigrants with more chronic illnesses, less positive attitude towards ageing, poorer physical health, less adequate financial situation, lower level of ethnic identification as Chinese, more service barriers, lower level of life satisfaction, shorter length of residency in Canada and those who lived alone tended to have more depressive symptoms Conclusions The findings indicate that the prevalence rate of depressive symptoms among our elderly immigrant sample is higher than the one reported in a general elderly population While further research is recommended to examine the reasons for such a difference, culturally appropriate health services, including health promotion programs, should be promoted to reduce mental health disparities
