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López-Hidalgo R, Ballestín R, Lorenzo L, Sánchez-Martí S, Blasco-Ibáñez JM, Crespo C, Nacher J, Varea E. Early chronic fasudil treatment rescues hippocampal alterations in the Ts65Dn model for down syndrome. Neurochem Int 2024; 174:105679. [PMID: 38309665 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2024.105679] [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: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic disorder associated with intellectual disability. To study this syndrome, several mouse models have been developed. Among the most common is the Ts65Dn model, which mimics most of the alterations observed in DS. Ts65Dn mice, as humans with DS, show defects in the structure, density, and distribution of dendritic spines in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Fasudil is a potent inhibitor of the RhoA kinase pathway, which is involved in the formation and stabilization of dendritic spines. Our study analysed the effect of early chronic fasudil treatment on the alterations observed in the hippocampus of the Ts65Dn model. We observed that treating Ts65Dn mice with fasudil induced an increase in neural plasticity in the hippocampus: there was an increment in the expression of PSA-NCAM and BDNF, in the dendritic branching and spine density of granule neurons, as well as in cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the subgranular zone. Finally, the treatment reduced the unbalance between excitation and inhibition present in this model. Overall, early chronic treatment with fasudil increases cell plasticity and eliminates differences with euploid animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa López-Hidalgo
- Neurobiology Unit, Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Spain
| | - Raúl Ballestín
- Neurobiology Unit, Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Spain
| | - Lorena Lorenzo
- Neurobiology Unit, Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Spain
| | - Sandra Sánchez-Martí
- Neurobiology Unit, Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Spain
| | - José Miguel Blasco-Ibáñez
- Neurobiology Unit, Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Spain
| | - Carlos Crespo
- Neurobiology Unit, Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Spain
| | - Juan Nacher
- Neurobiology Unit, Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Spain; CIBERSAM, Spanish National Network for Research in Mental Health, Madrid, Spain; Institute of research of the Clinic Hospital from Valencia (INCLIVA), Valencia, Spain
| | - Emilio Varea
- Neurobiology Unit, Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Spain.
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Alldred MJ, Pidikiti H, Heguy A, Roussos P, Ginsberg SD. Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons are vulnerable in a mouse model of Down syndrome and their molecular fingerprint is rescued by maternal choline supplementation. FASEB J 2023; 37:e22944. [PMID: 37191946 PMCID: PMC10292934 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202202111rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Basal forebrain cholinergic neuron (BFCN) degeneration is a hallmark of Down syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Current therapeutics in these disorders have been unsuccessful in slowing disease progression, likely due to poorly understood complex pathological interactions and dysregulated pathways. The Ts65Dn trisomic mouse model recapitulates both cognitive and morphological deficits of DS and AD, including BFCN degeneration and has shown lifelong behavioral changes due to maternal choline supplementation (MCS). To test the impact of MCS on trisomic BFCNs, we performed laser capture microdissection to individually isolate choline acetyltransferase-immunopositive neurons in Ts65Dn and disomic littermates, in conjunction with MCS at the onset of BFCN degeneration. We utilized single population RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to interrogate transcriptomic changes within medial septal nucleus (MSN) BFCNs. Leveraging multiple bioinformatic analysis programs on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by genotype and diet, we identified key canonical pathways and altered physiological functions within Ts65Dn MSN BFCNs, which were attenuated by MCS in trisomic offspring, including the cholinergic, glutamatergic and GABAergic pathways. We linked differential gene expression bioinformatically to multiple neurological functions, including motor dysfunction/movement disorder, early onset neurological disease, ataxia and cognitive impairment via Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. DEGs within these identified pathways may underlie aberrant behavior in the DS mice, with MCS attenuating the underlying gene expression changes. We propose MCS ameliorates aberrant BFCN gene expression within the septohippocampal circuit of trisomic mice through normalization of principally the cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic signaling pathways, resulting in attenuation of underlying neurological disease functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J. Alldred
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Harshitha Pidikiti
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Adriana Heguy
- Genome Technology Center, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
- Departments of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Psychiatry and the Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stephen D. Ginsberg
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Departments of Neuroscience & Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Bartesaghi R. Brain circuit pathology in Down syndrome: from neurons to neural networks. Rev Neurosci 2022; 34:365-423. [PMID: 36170842 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2022-0067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS), a genetic pathology caused by triplication of chromosome 21, is characterized by brain hypotrophy and impairment of cognition starting from infancy. While studies in mouse models of DS have elucidated the major neuroanatomical and neurochemical defects of DS, comparatively fewer investigations have focused on the electrophysiology of the DS brain. Electrical activity is at the basis of brain functioning. Therefore, knowledge of the way in which brain circuits operate in DS is fundamental to understand the causes of behavioral impairment and devise targeted interventions. This review summarizes the state of the art regarding the electrical properties of the DS brain, starting from individual neurons and culminating in signal processing in whole neuronal networks. The reported evidence derives from mouse models of DS and from brain tissues and neurons derived from individuals with DS. EEG data recorded in individuals with DS are also provided as a key tool to understand the impact of brain circuit alterations on global brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Bartesaghi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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Social defeat drives hyperexcitation of the piriform cortex to induce learning and memory impairment but not mood-related disorders in mice. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:380. [PMID: 36088395 PMCID: PMC9464232 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02151-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical studies have shown that social defeat is an important cause of mood-related disorders, accompanied by learning and memory impairment in humans. The mechanism of mood-related disorders has been widely studied. However, the specific neural network involved in learning and memory impairment caused by social defeat remains unclear. In this study, behavioral test results showed that the mice induced both learning and memory impairments and mood-related disorders after exposure to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). c-Fos immunofluorescence and fiber photometry recording confirmed that CaMKIIα expressing neurons of the piriform cortex (PC) were selectively activated by exposure to CSDS. Next, chemogenetics and optogenetics were performed to activate PC CaMKIIα expressing neurons, which showed learning and memory impairment but not mood-related disorders. Furthermore, chemogenetic inhibition of PC CaMKIIα expressing neurons significantly alleviated learning and memory impairment induced by exposure to CSDS but did not relieve mood-related disorders. Therefore, our data suggest that the overactivation of PC CaMKIIα expressing neurons mediates CSDS-induced learning and memory impairment, but not mood-related disorders, and provides a potential therapeutic target for learning and memory impairment induced by social defeat.
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Kirstein M, Cambrils A, Segarra A, Melero A, Varea E. Cholinergic Senescence in the Ts65Dn Mouse Model for Down Syndrome. Neurochem Res 2022; 47:3076-3092. [PMID: 35767135 PMCID: PMC9470680 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-022-03659-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) induces a variable phenotype including intellectual disabilities and early development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Moreover, individuals with DS display accelerated aging that affects diverse organs, among them the brain. The Ts65Dn mouse is the most widely used model to study DS. Progressive loss of cholinergic neurons is one of the hallmarks of AD present in DS and in the Ts65Dn model. In this study, we quantify the number of cholinergic neurons in control and Ts65Dn mice, observing a general reduction in their number with age but in particular, a greater loss in old Ts65Dn mice. Increased expression of the m1 muscarinic receptor in the hippocampus counteracts this loss. Cholinergic neurons in the Ts65Dn mice display overexpression of the early expression gene c-fos and an increase in the expression of β-galactosidase, a marker of senescence. A possible mechanism for senescence induction could be phosphorylation of the transcription factor FOXO1 and its retention in the cytoplasm, which we are able to confirm in the Ts65Dn model. In our study, using Ts65Dn mice, we observe increased cholinergic activity, which induces a process of early senescence that culminates in the loss of these neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Kirstein
- Cell Biology Department, Universitat de València, Dr. Moliner, 50, Burjassot, 46100, València, Spain
| | - Alba Cambrils
- Cell Biology Department, Universitat de València, Dr. Moliner, 50, Burjassot, 46100, València, Spain
| | - Ana Segarra
- Cell Biology Department, Universitat de València, Dr. Moliner, 50, Burjassot, 46100, València, Spain
| | - Ana Melero
- Cell Biology Department, Universitat de València, Dr. Moliner, 50, Burjassot, 46100, València, Spain
| | - Emilio Varea
- Cell Biology Department, Universitat de València, Dr. Moliner, 50, Burjassot, 46100, València, Spain.
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Signalling pathways contributing to learning and memory deficits in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome. Neuronal Signal 2021; 5:NS20200011. [PMID: 33763235 PMCID: PMC7955101 DOI: 10.1042/ns20200011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic trisomic disorder that produces life-long changes in physiology and cognition. Many of the changes in learning and memory seen in DS are reminiscent of disorders involving the hippocampal/entorhinal circuit. Mouse models of DS typically involve trisomy of murine chromosome 16 is homologous for many of the genes triplicated in human trisomy 21, and provide us with good models of changes in, and potential pharmacotherapy for, human DS. Recent careful dissection of the Ts65Dn mouse model of DS has revealed differences in key signalling pathways from the basal forebrain to the hippocampus and associated rhinal cortices, as well as changes in the microstructure of the hippocampus itself. In vivo behavioural and electrophysiological studies have shown that Ts65Dn animals have difficulties in spatial memory that mirror hippocampal deficits, and have changes in hippocampal electrophysiological phenomenology that may explain these differences, and align with expectations generated from in vitro exploration of this model. Finally, given the existing data, we will examine the possibility for pharmacotherapy for DS, and outline the work that remains to be done to fully understand this system.
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