Abstract: Objective The experiment was to investigate into the effects of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) on behavioral disorder and hippocampal CA1 neuronal damage induced by stress in rats. Methods The footshock stress-induced changes of behaviors and morphology of hippocampal CA1 neurons during acute or chronic stress in tats, and the effects of CNTF administrated into bilateral hippocampus on the changes were observed with open field test Nissl stain, Bielschowsky-Gros-Lawrentjew stain and electron microscope. Results The open field behaviors increased and morphology of hippocampal CAI neurons did not change during acute stress in rats. The open field behaviors decreased and hippoampal CA1 neuronal damage occurred during chronic stress. CNTF administrated into bilateral hippocampus had no effect on behavior and morphology of hippocampal CA1 neurons in control and acute stressful rats, but it significantly reduced hippocampal CA1 neuronal damage and improved behavioral disorder induced by chronic stress. Conclusion CNTF could improve depressive behavior induced by chronic stress via protection of hippocampal CA1 neurons.

Key words: ciliary neurotrophic factor, stress, behavior, hippocampal CA1 neuron Other authors are omitted