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Reitz NL, Nunes PT, Savage LM. Adolescent alcohol exposure alters age-related progression of behavioral and neurotrophic dysfunction in the TgF344-AD model in a sex-specific manner. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.17.603911. [PMID: 39091885 PMCID: PMC11291002 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.17.603911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and heavy alcohol use are widely prevalent and lead to brain pathology. Both alcohol-related brain damage (ABRD) and AD result in cholinergic dysfunction, reductions in hippocampal neurogenesis, and the emergence of hippocampal-dependent cognitive impairments. It is still unknown how ARBD caused during a critical developmental timepoint, such as adolescence, interacts with AD-related pathologies to accelerate disease progression later in life. The current study utilized a longitudinal design to characterize behavioral and pathological changes in a transgenic rat model of AD (TgF344-AD) following adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure. We found that AIE accelerates cognitive decline associated with AD transgenes in female rats at 6 months of age, and male AD-rats are impaired on spatial navigation by 3-months with no additional deficits due to AIE exposure. Protein levels of various AD-pathological markers were analyzed in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus of male and female rats. The data suggests that AIE-induced alterations of the tropomyosin-related kinase A receptor (TrkA) / p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) ratio creates a brain that is vulnerable to age- and AD-related pathologies, which leads to an acceleration of cognitive decline, particularly in female rats.
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Wang Y, Wang X, Wang L, Zheng L, Meng S, Zhu N, An X, Wang L, Yang J, Zheng C, Ming D. Dynamic prediction of goal location by coordinated representation of prefrontal-hippocampal theta sequences. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1866-1879.e6. [PMID: 38608677 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Prefrontal (PFC) and hippocampal (HPC) sequences of neuronal firing modulated by theta rhythms could represent upcoming choices during spatial memory-guided decision-making. How the PFC-HPC network dynamically coordinates theta sequences to predict specific goal locations and how it is interrupted in memory impairments induced by amyloid beta (Aβ) remain unclear. Here, we detected theta sequences of firing activities of PFC neurons and HPC place cells during goal-directed spatial memory tasks. We found that PFC ensembles exhibited predictive representation of the specific goal location since the starting phase of memory retrieval, earlier than the hippocampus. High predictive accuracy of PFC theta sequences existed during successful memory retrieval and positively correlated with memory performance. Coordinated PFC-HPC sequences showed PFC-dominant prediction of goal locations during successful memory retrieval. Furthermore, we found that theta sequences of both regions still existed under Aβ accumulation, whereas their predictive representation of goal locations was weakened with disrupted spatial representation of HPC place cells and PFC neurons. These findings highlight the essential role of coordinated PFC-HPC sequences in successful memory retrieval of a precise goal location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimeng Wang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Xueling Wang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Ling Wang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Li Zheng
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Shuang Meng
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Nan Zhu
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Xingwei An
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Statistics and Data Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Jiajia Yang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China; Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Integration, Tianjin 300072, China.
| | - Chenguang Zheng
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China; Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Integration, Tianjin 300072, China.
| | - Dong Ming
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China; Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Integration, Tianjin 300072, China.
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Slutsky I. Linking activity dyshomeostasis and sleep disturbances in Alzheimer disease. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024; 25:272-284. [PMID: 38374463 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-024-00797-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
The presymptomatic phase of Alzheimer disease (AD) starts with the deposition of amyloid-β in the cortex and begins a decade or more before the emergence of cognitive decline. The trajectory towards dementia and neurodegeneration is shaped by the pathological load and the resilience of neural circuits to the effects of this pathology. In this Perspective, I focus on recent advances that have uncovered the vulnerability of neural circuits at early stages of AD to hyperexcitability, particularly when the brain is in a low-arousal states (such as sleep and anaesthesia). Notably, this hyperexcitability manifests before overt symptoms such as sleep and memory deficits. Using the principles of control theory, I analyse the bidirectional relationship between homeostasis of neuronal activity and sleep and propose that impaired activity homeostasis during sleep leads to hyperexcitability and subsequent sleep disturbances, whereas sleep disturbances mitigate hyperexcitability via negative feedback. Understanding the interplay among activity homeostasis, neuronal excitability and sleep is crucial for elucidating the mechanisms of vulnerability to and resilience against AD pathology and for identifying new therapeutic avenues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inna Slutsky
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Nataraj A, Kala A, Proskauer Pena SL, Jezek K, Blahna K. Impaired Dynamics of Positional and Contextual Neural Coding in an Alzheimer's Disease Rat Model. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 101:259-276. [PMID: 39177594 DOI: 10.3233/jad-231386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Background The hippocampal representation of space, formed by the collective activity of populations of place cells, is considered as a substrate of spatial memory. Alzheimer's disease (AD), a widespread severe neurodegenerative condition of multifactorial origin, typically exhibits spatial memory deficits among its early clinical signs before more severe cognitive impacts develop. Objective To investigate mechanisms of spatial memory impairment in a double transgenic rat model of AD. Methods In this study, we utilized 9-12-month-old double-transgenic TgF344-AD rats and age-matched controls to analyze the spatial coding properties of CA1 place cells. We characterized the spatial memory representation, assessed cells' spatial information content and direction-specific activity, and compared their population coding in familiar and novel conditions. Results Our findings revealed that TgF344-AD animals exhibited lower precision in coding, as evidenced by reduced spatial information and larger receptive zones. This impairment was evident in maps representing novel environments. While controls instantly encoded directional context during their initial exposure to a novel environment, transgenics struggled to incorporate this information into the newly developed hippocampal spatial representation. This resulted in impairment in orthogonalization of stored activity patterns, an important feature directly related to episodic memory encoding capacity. Conclusions Overall, the results shed light on the nature of impairment at both the single-cell and population levels in the transgenic AD model. In addition to the observed spatial coding inaccuracy, the findings reveal a significantly impaired ability to adaptively modify and refine newly stored hippocampal memory patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athira Nataraj
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, , Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Annu Kala
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, , Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Karel Jezek
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, , Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Blahna
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, , Prague, Czech Republic
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Silva A, Martínez MC. Spatial memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease and their connection to cognitive maps' formation by place cells and grid cells. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:1082158. [PMID: 36710956 PMCID: PMC9878455 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1082158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Whenever we navigate through different contexts, we build a cognitive map: an internal representation of the territory. Spatial navigation is a complex skill that involves multiple types of information processing and integration. Place cells and grid cells, collectively with other hippocampal and medial entorhinal cortex neurons (MEC), form a neural network whose activity is critical for the representation of self-position and orientation along with spatial memory retrieval. Furthermore, this activity generates new representations adapting to changes in the environment. Though there is a normal decline in spatial memory related to aging, this is dramatically increased in pathological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is a multi-factorial neurodegenerative disorder affecting mainly the hippocampus-entorhinal cortex (HP-EC) circuit. Consequently, the initial stages of the disease have disorientation and wandering behavior as two of its hallmarks. Recent electrophysiological studies have linked spatial memory deficits to difficulties in spatial information encoding. Here we will discuss map impairment and remapping disruption in the HP-EC network, as a possible circuit mechanism involved in the spatial memory and navigation deficits observed in AD, pointing out the benefits of virtual reality as a tool for early diagnosis and rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azul Silva
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica “Dr. Bernardo Houssay”- CONICET (IFIBIO), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Cecilia Martínez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica “Dr. Bernardo Houssay”- CONICET (IFIBIO), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina,Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Celular “Dr. Héctor Maldonado”, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina,*Correspondence: María Cecilia Martínez,
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Zhang H, Chen L, Johnston KG, Crapser J, Green KN, Ha NML, Tenner AJ, Holmes TC, Nitz DA, Xu X. Degenerate mapping of environmental location presages deficits in object-location encoding and memory in the 5xFAD mouse model for Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 176:105939. [PMID: 36462718 PMCID: PMC10187684 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
A key challenge in developing diagnosis and treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is to detect abnormal network activity at as early a stage as possible. To date, behavioral and neurophysiological investigations in AD model mice have yet to conduct a longitudinal assessment of cellular pathology, memory deficits, and neurophysiological correlates of neuronal activity. We therefore examined the temporal relationships between pathology, neuronal activities and spatial representation of environments, as well as object location memory deficits across multiple stages of development in the 5xFAD mice model and compared these results to those observed in wild-type mice. We performed longitudinal in vivo calcium imaging with miniscope on hippocampal CA1 neurons in behaving mice. We find that 5xFAD mice show amyloid plaque accumulation, depressed neuronal calcium activity during immobile states, and degenerate and unreliable hippocampal neuron spatial tuning to environmental location at early stages by 4 months of age while their object location memory (OLM) is comparable to WT mice. By 8 months of age, 5xFAD mice show deficits of OLM, which are accompanied by progressive degradation of spatial encoding and, eventually, impaired CA1 neural tuning to object-location pairings. Furthermore, depressed neuronal activity and unreliable spatial encoding at early stage are correlated with impaired performance in OLM at 8-month-old. Our results indicate the close connection between impaired hippocampal tuning to object-location and the presence of OLM deficits. The results also highlight that depressed baseline firing rates in hippocampal neurons during immobile states and unreliable spatial representation precede object memory deficits and predict memory deficits at older age, suggesting potential early opportunities for AD detecting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai Zhang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Lujia Chen
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Kevin G Johnston
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Joshua Crapser
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Kim N Green
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America; Center for Neural Circuit Mapping, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Nicole My-Linh Ha
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Andrea J Tenner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Todd C Holmes
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America; Center for Neural Circuit Mapping, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Douglas A Nitz
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States of America; Center for Neural Circuit Mapping, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America.
| | - Xiangmin Xu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America; Center for Neural Circuit Mapping, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America.
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7
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Xue LL, Huangfu LR, Du RL, Chen L, Yu CY, Xiong LL, Wang TH. The age-specific pathological changes of β-amyloid plaques in the cortex and hippocampus of APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice. Neurol Res 2022; 44:1053-1065. [PMID: 35981107 DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2022.2112368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Numerous pathological variations and complex interactions are involved in the long period prior to cognitive decline in brains with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, elucidation of the pathological disorders can facilitate early AD diagnosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the age-specific pathological changes of β-amyloid plaques in brain tissues of AD mice at different ages. METHODS We arranged the most widely available APP/PS1 transgenic AD models into six age groups: 3, 4 and 6 months (these three groups mimicked early-clinical stage AD), 9, 12 and 15 months (these three groups mimicked late-clinical stage AD). Cell morphology and arrangement in the cortex and hippocampus were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Congo red staining and immunohistochemical staining were performed to exhibit the distribution of β-amyloid plaques in the cortex and hippocampus of AD brains. RESULTS Our results found that as age increased, the nuclei of cortical and hippocampal cells in AD mice were severely damaged. The number and area of β-amyloid plaques increased in AD mice in correspondence with age revealed by histological experiments. Importantly, β-amyloid plaques were detected in the cortex and hippocampus of 6-month-old AD mice shown by Congo red staining while detected in the cortex and hippocampus of 4-month-old AD mice shown by immunohistochemical staining. CONCLUSIONS The current study revealed the age-related pathological changes of β-amyloid plaques in the cortex and hippocampus of AD mice and displayed a higher specificity of immunohistochemical staining than Congo red staining when detecting pathological changes of brain tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Lu Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Li-Ren Huangfu
- Animal Zoology Department, Institute of Neuroscience, Kunming medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Ruo-Lan Du
- Institute of Neurological Disease, Department of Anesthesiology, Translational Neuroscience Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Li Chen
- Institute of Neurological Disease, Department of Anesthesiology, Translational Neuroscience Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Chang-Yin Yu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China
| | - Liu-Lin Xiong
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China
| | - Ting-Hua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.,Animal Zoology Department, Institute of Neuroscience, Kunming medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.,Institute of Neurological Disease, Department of Anesthesiology, Translational Neuroscience Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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8
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Bernaud VE, Bulen HL, Peña VL, Koebele SV, Northup-Smith SN, Manzo AA, Valenzuela Sanchez M, Opachich Z, Ruhland AM, Bimonte-Nelson HA. Task-dependent learning and memory deficits in the TgF344-AD rat model of Alzheimer's disease: three key timepoints through middle-age in females. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14596. [PMID: 36028737 PMCID: PMC9418316 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18415-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The TgF344 rat model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) provides a comprehensive neuropathology presentation, with age-dependent development of tau tangles, amyloid-beta (A[Formula: see text]) plaques, neuronal loss, and increased gliosis. The behavioral trajectory of this model, particularly relating to spatial learning and memory, has yet to be fully characterized. The current experiment evaluated spatial working and reference memory performance, as well as several physiological markers of health, at 3 key age points in female TgF344-AD rats: 6-months, 9-months, and 12-months. At 6 months of age, indications of working and reference memory impairments were observed in transgenic (Tg) rats on the water radial-arm maze, a complex task that requires working and reference memory simultaneously; at 12 months old, Tg impairments were observed for two working memory measures on this task. Notably, no impairments were observed at the 9-month timepoint on this maze. For the Morris maze, a measure of spatial reference memory, Tg rats demonstrated significant impairment relative to wildtype (WT) controls at all 3 age-points. Frontal cortex, entorhinal cortex, and dorsal hippocampus were evaluated for A[Formula: see text]1-42 expression via western blot in Tg rats only. Analyses of A[Formula: see text]1-42 expression revealed age-dependent increases in all 3 regions critical to spatial learning and memory. Measures of physiological health, including heart, uterine, and body weights, revealed unique age-specific outcomes for female Tg rats, with the 9-month timepoint identified as critical for further research within the trajectory of AD-like behavior, physiology, and pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria E Bernaud
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA
| | - Haidyn L Bulen
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA
| | - Veronica L Peña
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA
| | - Stephanie V Koebele
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA
| | - Steven N Northup-Smith
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA
| | - Alma A Manzo
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA
| | - Maria Valenzuela Sanchez
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA
| | - Zorana Opachich
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA
| | - Ashley M Ruhland
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA
| | - Heather A Bimonte-Nelson
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division, Department of Psychology, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, 4745 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ, 85014, USA.
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Broussard JI, Redell JB, Maynard ME, Zhao J, Moore A, Mills RW, Hood KN, Underwood E, Roysam B, Dash PK. Impaired Experience-Dependent Refinement of Place Cells in a Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 86:1907-1916. [PMID: 35253742 PMCID: PMC9850819 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hippocampal place cells play an integral role in generating spatial maps. Impaired spatial memory is a characteristic pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet it remains unclear how AD influences the properties of hippocampal place cells. OBJECTIVE To record electrophysiological activity in hippocampal CA1 neurons in freely-moving 18-month-old male TgF344-AD and age-matched wild-type (WT) littermates to examine place cell properties. METHODS We implanted 32-channel electrode arrays into the CA1 subfield of 18-month-old male WT and TgF344-AD (n = 6/group) rats. Ten days after implantation, single unit activity in an open field arena was recorded across days. The spatial information content, in-field firing rate, and stability of each place cell was compared across groups. Pathology was assessed by immunohistochemical staining, and a deep neural network approach was used to count cell profiles. RESULTS Aged TgF344-AD rats exhibited hippocampal amyloid-β deposition, and a significant increase in Iba1 immunoreactivity and microglia cell counts. Place cells from WT and TgF344-AD rat showed equivalent spatial information, in-field firing rates, and place field stability when initially exposed to the arena. However, by day 3, the place cells in aged WT rats showed characteristic spatial tuning as evidenced by higher spatial information content, stability, and in-field firing rates, an effect not seen in TgF344-AD rats. CONCLUSION These findings support the notion that altered electrophysiological properties of place cells may contribute to the learning and memory deficits observed in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- John I. Broussard
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030,To whom correspondence should be addressed: JI Broussard, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, 6431 Fannin, St., Suite 7.011, Houston, TX 77030, Phone: (713) 500-5545,
| | - John B. Redell
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Mark E. Maynard
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204, USA
| | - Jing Zhao
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Anthony Moore
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Rachel W. Mills
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204, USA
| | - Kimberly N. Hood
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Erica Underwood
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030
| | - Badrinath Roysam
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204, USA
| | - Pramod K. Dash
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030
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10
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Yao R, Nishii K, Aizu N, Kito T, Sakai K, Yamada K. Maintaining Aging Hippocampal Function with Safe and Feasible Shaking Exercise in SAMP10 Mice. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2021; 49:185-193. [PMID: 32526748 DOI: 10.1159/000507884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The disabling effects of dementia, an incurable disease with little effect on mortality, affect society far more than many other conditions. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to stop or delay the onset of dementia using low-cost methods such as physical exercise. METHODS Senescence-accelerated model-prone (SAMP) 10 mice were made to perform a user-friendly shaking exercise for 25 weeks. The motor function and hippocampal functions (learning, spatial cognition) of the mice were evaluated using behavioral experiments. The degree of hippocampal aging was evaluated based on brain morphology. The association between behavioral performance of the mice and the degree of hippocampal aging was then evaluated. RESULTS The behavioral test results showed that the shaking group had higher motor coordination (p < 0.01) and motor learning (p < 0.05). Significantly higher performances in the learning ability were observed in the shaking group at a middle-period experiment (p < 0.05); the spatial cognitive functions also improved (p < 0.05). The shaking group showed delayed ageing of cells in the dentate gyrus (DG; area: p < 0.01) and cornu Ammonis (CA; area: p < 0.01) regions of the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS The shaking exercise enhances the activity of mice and reduces age-associated decreases in learning and spatial cognitive functions. Regarding hippocampal morphology, shaking exercise can prevent non-functional protein accumulation, cell atrophy, and cell loss. Specifically, shaking exercise protects cell growth and regeneration in the DG area and enhances the learning function of the hippocampus. Furthermore, shaking exercise maintained the spatial cognitive function of cells in the CA3 and CA1 regions, and prevented the chronic loss of CA2 transmission that decreased the spatial memory decline in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runhong Yao
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Nishii
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Naoki Aizu
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Takumi Kito
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Sakai
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Kouji Yamada
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan,
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Isla AG, Balleza-Tapia H, Fisahn A. Efficacy of preclinical pharmacological interventions against alterations of neuronal network oscillations in Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review. Exp Neurol 2021; 343:113743. [PMID: 34000250 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2021.113743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Despite the development of multiple pharmacological approaches over the years aimed at treating Alzheimer's Disease (AD) only very few have been approved for clinical use in patients. To date there still exists no disease-modifying treatment that could prevent or rescue the cognitive impairment, particularly of memory aquisition, that is characteristic of AD. One of the possibilities for this state of affairs might be that the majority of drug discovery efforts focuses on outcome measures of decreased neuropathological biomarkers characteristic of AD, without taking into acount neuronal processes essential to the generation and maintenance of memory processes. Particularly, the capacity of the brain to generate theta (θ) and gamma (γ) oscillatory activity has been strongly correlated to memory performance. Using a systematic review approach, we synthesize the existing evidence in the literature on pharmacological interventions that enhance neuronal theta (θ) and/or gamma (γ) oscillations in non-pathological animal models and in AD animal models. Additionally, we synthesize the main outcomes and neurochemical systems targeted. We propose that functional biomarkers such as cognition-relevant neuronal network oscillations should be used as outcome measures during the process of research and development of novel drugs against cognitive impairment in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo G Isla
- Neuronal Oscillations Laboratory, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Akademiska Stråket 1, J10:30, 17164 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hugo Balleza-Tapia
- Neuronal Oscillations Laboratory, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Akademiska Stråket 1, J10:30, 17164 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - André Fisahn
- Neuronal Oscillations Laboratory, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Akademiska Stråket 1, J10:30, 17164 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Kolinko Y, Marsalova L, Proskauer Pena S, Kralickova M, Mouton PR. Stereological Changes in Microvascular Parameters in Hippocampus of a Transgenic Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 84:249-260. [PMID: 34542078 PMCID: PMC8609684 DOI: 10.3233/jad-210738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microcirculatory factors play an important role in amyloid-β (Aβ)-related neuropathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Transgenic (Tg) rat models of mutant Aβ deposition can enhance our understanding of this microvascular pathology. OBJECTIVE Here we report stereology-based quantification and comparisons (between- and within-group) of microvessel length and number and associated parameters in hippocampal subregions in Tg model of AD in Fischer 344 rats and non-Tg littermates. METHODS Systematic-random samples of tissue sections were processed and laminin immunostained to visualize microvessels through the entire hippocampus in Tg and non-Tg rats. A computer-assisted stereology system was used to quantify microvessel parameters including total number, total length, and associated densities in dentate gyrus (DG) and cornu ammonis (CA) subregions. RESULTS Thin hair-like capillaries are common near Aβ plaques in hippocampal subregions of Tg rats. There are a 53% significant increase in average length per capillary across entire hippocampus (p≤0.04) in Tg compared to non-Tg rats; 49% reduction in capillary length in DG (p≤0.02); and, higher microvessel density in principal cell layers (p≤0.03). Furthermore, within-group comparisons confirm Tg but not non-Tg rats have significant increase in number density (p≤0.01) and potential diffusion distance (p≤0.04) of microvessels in principal cell layers of hippocampal subregions. CONCLUSION We show the Tg deposition of human Aβ mutations in rats disrupts the wild-type microanatomy of hippocampal microvessels. Stereology-based microvascular parameters could promote the development of novel strategies for protection and the therapeutic management of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaroslav Kolinko
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Marsalova
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | | | - Milena Kralickova
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Peter R. Mouton
- SRC Biosciences, Tampa, FL, USA
- University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
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Progressive impairment of directional and spatially precise trajectories by TgF344-Alzheimer's disease rats in the Morris Water Task. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16153. [PMID: 30385825 PMCID: PMC6212523 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34368-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation is impaired in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and may be a defining behavioral marker of preclinical AD. A new rat model (TgF344-AD) of AD overcomes many limitations of other rodent models, though spatial navigation has not been comprehensively assessed. Using the hidden and cued platform variants of the Morris water task, a longitudinal assessment of spatial navigation was conducted on TgF344-AD (n = 16) and Fischer 344 (n = 12) male and female rats at three age ranges: 4 to 5 months, 7 to 8, and 10 to 11 months of age. TgF344-AD rats exhibited largely intact navigation at 4–5 months, with deficits in the hidden platform task emerging at 7–8 months and becoming significantly pronounced at 10–11 months of age. In general, TgF344-AD rats displayed less accurate swim trajectories to the platform and searched a wider area around the platform region compared to wildtype rats. Impaired navigation occurred in the absence of deficits in acquiring the procedural task demands or navigation to the cued platform location. Together, the results indicate that TgF344-AD rats exhibit comparable navigational deficits to those found in individuals with preclinical-AD.
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