Radix Angelica Sinensis Promotes Synaptic Plasticity During Cognitive Recovery in Chronically Stressed Rats

The accumulation of chronic stress is associated with cognitive dysfunction. Radix Angelica Sinensis (RAS) has been shown to have neuroprotective potential for treating Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. However, the impact of RAS on cognitive impairment induced by chronic stress has not been studied. In the present study, RAS significantly alleviated cognitive deficits in rats subjected to chronic restraint stress. This neuroprotective effect was associated with enhancement of synaptic efficacy by improving field excitatory postsynaptic potential amplitudes, alleviating adverse alterations in the structure of synapses and neurons in the hippocampus, and increasing the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, microtubule-associated protein-2, and synaptophysin in the hippocampus. These findings provide initial evidence for the therapeutic potential of RAS for the treatment of neuronal deterioration caused by chronic stress. Keywords: Chronic stress, cognitive impairment, neuroprotection, synaptic plasticity, traditional chinese medicine, radix angelica sinensis.