Environmental enrichment aides in functional recovery following unilateral controlled cortical impact of the forelimb sensorimotor area however intranasal administration of nerve growth factor does not

• The effects of environmental enrichment and NGF on recovery of function following TBI was examined.
• Forelimb sensorimotor cortex (FL-SMC) damage leads to functional deficits in forelimb use for balance and ambulation.
• Environmental enrichment does aide in functional recovery after FL-SMC damage.
• Intranasal administration of NGF did not improve recovery of function after TBI.

PurposeAn injury to the forelimb sensorimotor cortex results in the impairment of motor function in animals. Recent research has suggested that intranasal administration of nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein naturally found in the brain, and placement into enriched environments (EE) improves motor and cognitive function after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The purpose of this study was to determine whether NGF, EE, or the combination of both was beneficial in the recovery of motor function following TBI.ResultsUninjured animals had fewer foot faults than injured animals, displaying a lesion effect. Injured animals housed in EE were shown to have fewer foot faults whether or not they received NGF. Injured animals also displayed an increased reliance on the non-impaired limb further validating a lesion effect.ConclusionEE is an effective treatment on the recovery of motor function after a TBI. Intranasal administration of NGF was found to not be an effective treatment for functional motor recovery after a TBI.