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Targa G, Mottarlini F, Rizzi B, Taddini S, Parolaro S, Fumagalli F, Caffino L. Anorexia-Induced Hypoleptinemia Drives Adaptations in the JAK2/STAT3 Pathway in the Ventral and Dorsal Hippocampus of Female Rats. Nutrients 2024; 16:1171. [PMID: 38674862 PMCID: PMC11054075 DOI: 10.3390/nu16081171] [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: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Leptin is an appetite-regulating adipokine that is reduced in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), a psychiatric disorder characterized by self-imposed starvation, and has been linked to hyperactivity, a hallmark of AN. However, it remains unknown how leptin receptor (LepR) and its JAK2-STAT3 downstream pathway in extrahypothalamic brain areas, such as the dorsal (dHip) and ventral (vHip) hippocampus, crucial for spatial memory and emotion regulation, may contribute to the maintenance of AN behaviors. Taking advantage of the activity-based anorexia (ABA) model (i.e., the combination of food restriction and physical activity), we observed reduced leptin plasma levels in adolescent female ABA rats at the acute phase of the disorder [post-natal day (PND) 42], while the levels increased over control levels following a 7-day recovery period (PND49). The analysis of the intracellular leptin pathway revealed that ABA rats showed an overall decrease of the LepR/JAK2/STAT3 signaling in dHip at both time points, while in vHip we observed a transition from hypo- (PND42) to hyperactivation (PND49) of the pathway. These changes might add knowledge on starvation-induced fluctuations in leptin levels and in hippocampal leptin signaling as initial drivers of the transition from adaptative mechanisms to starvation toward the maintenance of aberrant behaviors typical of AN patients, such as perpetuating restraint over eating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Targa
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences ‘Rodolfo Paoletti’, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy; (G.T.); (F.M.); (B.R.); (S.T.); (S.P.); (F.F.)
| | - Francesca Mottarlini
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences ‘Rodolfo Paoletti’, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy; (G.T.); (F.M.); (B.R.); (S.T.); (S.P.); (F.F.)
| | - Beatrice Rizzi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences ‘Rodolfo Paoletti’, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy; (G.T.); (F.M.); (B.R.); (S.T.); (S.P.); (F.F.)
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy
| | - Sofia Taddini
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences ‘Rodolfo Paoletti’, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy; (G.T.); (F.M.); (B.R.); (S.T.); (S.P.); (F.F.)
| | - Susanna Parolaro
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences ‘Rodolfo Paoletti’, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy; (G.T.); (F.M.); (B.R.); (S.T.); (S.P.); (F.F.)
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences ‘Rodolfo Paoletti’, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy; (G.T.); (F.M.); (B.R.); (S.T.); (S.P.); (F.F.)
| | - Lucia Caffino
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences ‘Rodolfo Paoletti’, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy; (G.T.); (F.M.); (B.R.); (S.T.); (S.P.); (F.F.)
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Meléndez DM, Nordquist RE, Vanderschuren LJMJ, van der Staay FJ. Spatial memory deficits after vincristine-induced lesions to the dorsal hippocampus. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231941. [PMID: 32315349 PMCID: PMC7173870 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Vincristine is a commonly used cytostatic drug for the treatment of leukemia, neuroblastoma and lung cancer, which is known to have neurotoxic properties. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of vincristine, injected directly into the dorsal hippocampus, in spatial memory using the spatial cone field discrimination task. Long Evans rats were trained in the cone field, and after reaching training criterion received bilateral vincristine infusions into the dorsal hippocampus. Vincristine-treated animals presented unilateral or bilateral hippocampal lesions. Animals with bilateral lesions showed lower spatial working and reference memory performance than control animals, but task motivation was unaffected by the lesions. Working and reference memory of animals with unilateral lesions did not differ from animals with bilateral lesions and control animals. In sum, intrahippocampal injection of vincristine caused profound tissue damage in the dorsal hippocampus, associated with substantial cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M. Meléndez
- Division of Farm Animal Health, Department of Population Health Sciences, Behaviour and Welfare Group, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rebecca E. Nordquist
- Division of Farm Animal Health, Department of Population Health Sciences, Behaviour and Welfare Group, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Franz-Josef van der Staay
- Division of Farm Animal Health, Department of Population Health Sciences, Behaviour and Welfare Group, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairments: A systematic review of the animal literature. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 102:382-399. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Noble M, Mayer-Pröschel M, Li Z, Dong T, Cui W, Pröschel C, Ambeskovic I, Dietrich J, Han R, Yang YM, Folts C, Stripay J, Chen HY, Stevens BM. Redox biology in normal cells and cancer: restoring function of the redox/Fyn/c-Cbl pathway in cancer cells offers new approaches to cancer treatment. Free Radic Biol Med 2015; 79:300-23. [PMID: 25481740 PMCID: PMC10173888 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2014.10.860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 10/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This review discusses a unique discovery path starting with novel findings on redox regulation of precursor cell and signaling pathway function and identification of a new mechanism by which relatively small changes in redox status can control entire signaling networks that regulate self-renewal, differentiation, and survival. The pathway central to this work, the redox/Fyn/c-Cbl (RFC) pathway, converts small increases in oxidative status to pan-activation of the c-Cbl ubiquitin ligase, which controls multiple receptors and other proteins of central importance in precursor cell and cancer cell function. Integration of work on the RFC pathway with attempts to understand how treatment with systemic chemotherapy causes neurological problems led to the discovery that glioblastomas (GBMs) and basal-like breast cancers (BLBCs) inhibit c-Cbl function through altered utilization of the cytoskeletal regulators Cool-1/βpix and Cdc42, respectively. Inhibition of these proteins to restore normal c-Cbl function suppresses cancer cell division, increases sensitivity to chemotherapy, disrupts tumor-initiating cell (TIC) activity in GBMs and BLBCs, controls multiple critical TIC regulators, and also allows targeting of non-TICs. Moreover, these manipulations do not increase chemosensitivity or suppress division of nontransformed cells. Restoration of normal c-Cbl function also allows more effective harnessing of estrogen receptor-α (ERα)-independent activities of tamoxifen to activate the RFC pathway and target ERα-negative cancer cells. Our work thus provides a discovery strategy that reveals mechanisms and therapeutic targets that cannot be deduced by standard genetics analyses, which fail to reveal the metabolic information, isoform shifts, protein activation, protein complexes, and protein degradation critical to our discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Noble
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Margot Mayer-Pröschel
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Zaibo Li
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 410W 10th Avenue, E403 Doan Hall, Columbus, OH 43210-1240, USA.
| | - Tiefei Dong
- University of Michigan Tech Transfer, 1600 Huron Pkwy, 2nd Floor, Building 520, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2590, USA.
| | - Wanchang Cui
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine,10 South Pine Street, MSTF Room 600, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
| | - Christoph Pröschel
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Ibro Ambeskovic
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Joerg Dietrich
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Yawkey 9E, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
| | - Ruolan Han
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Yin Miranda Yang
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Christopher Folts
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Jennifer Stripay
- Department of Biomedical Genetics and University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Hsing-Yu Chen
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Cell Biology 240 Longwood Avenue Building C1, Room 513B Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Brett M Stevens
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Division of Hematology, 12700 E. 19th Avenue, Campus Box F754-AMCA, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
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Chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction: current animal studies and future directions. Brain Imaging Behav 2014; 7:453-9. [PMID: 23949877 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-013-9250-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive impairment is a potential long-term side effect of adjuvant chemotherapy that can have a major impact on the quality of life of cancer survivors. There is a growing number of preclinical studies addressing this issue, thereby extending our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances and important findings presented in these studies. Emerging challenges, such as the development of neuroprotective strategies, and the role of the blood-brain barrier on cognitive impairment will be described and future directions in this field of investigation will be outlined.
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Abstract
Children treated for medulloblastoma (MB) exhibit long-term impairments in declarative memory, but the pathophysiology underlying this is unclear. Previous studies report declines in global white matter volume, but have failed to link this to declines in memory performance. We examined the effects of treatment on measures of global brain structure (i.e., total white and gray matter volume) and specific memory structures (i.e., hippocampus and uncinate fasciculus). We used volumetric MRI and diffusion tensor imaging in pediatric survivors of MB and one survivor of astrocytoma treated with cranial-spinal radiation (n = 20), and healthy controls (n = 13). Compared to controls, the survivor group exhibited reduced white matter volume, damage to the uncinate fasciculus, and a smaller right hippocampus. Critically, reduced hippocampal volume was not related to differences in brain volume, suggesting that the hippocampus may be especially vulnerable to treatment effects. A subset of the survivors (n = 10) also underwent memory testing using the Children's Memory Scale (CMS). Performance on the general index of the CMS was significantly correlated with measures of hippocampal volume and uncinate fasciculus. The examination of treatment effects on specific brain regions provides a better understanding of long-term cognitive outcome in children with brain tumors, particularly medulloblastoma.
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Bisen-Hersh EB, Hineline PN, Walker EA. Disruption of learning processes by chemotherapeutic agents in childhood survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and preclinical models. J Cancer 2011; 2:292-301. [PMID: 21611110 PMCID: PMC3100681 DOI: 10.7150/jca.2.292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2011] [Accepted: 05/13/2011] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE With the survival rate of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) surpassing 90 percent within this decade, new research is emerging in the field of late effects. A review of the research investigating the relationship of treatment regimens for ALL to specific late effect deficits, underlying mechanisms, and possible remediation is warranted to support continued studies. METHODS The clinical literature was briefly surveyed to describe the occurrence and topography of late effects, specifically neurocognitive deficits. Additionally, the preclinical literature was reviewed to uncover potential underlying mechanisms of these deficits. The advantages of using rodent models to answer these questions are outlined, as is an assessment of the limited number of rodent models of childhood cancer treatment. RESULTS The literature supports that childhood survivors of ALL exhibit academic difficulties and are more likely to be placed in a special education program. Behavioral evidence has highlighted impairments in the areas of attention, working memory, and processing speed, leading to a decrease in full scale IQ. Neurophysiological and preclinical evidence for these deficits has implicated white matter abnormalities and acquired brain damage resulting from specific chemotherapeutic agents commonly used during treatment. CONCLUSIONS The exact role of chemotherapeutic agents in learning deficits remains mostly unknown. Recommendations for an improved rodent model of learning deficits in childhood cancer survivors are proposed, along with suggestions for future directions in this area of research, in hopes that forthcoming treatment regimens will reduce or eliminate these types of impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily B. Bisen-Hersh
- 1. Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
- 2. Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Philip N. Hineline
- 2. Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Ellen A. Walker
- 1. Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
- 3. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
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The COGITAT holeboard system as a valuable tool to assess learning, memory and activity in mice. Behav Brain Res 2011; 220:152-8. [PMID: 21310188 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.01.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2010] [Revised: 01/25/2011] [Accepted: 01/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The comprehensive and stress-free assessment of various aspects of learning and memory is a prerequisite to evaluate mouse models for neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). COGITAT is an automated holeboard system allowing simultaneous assessment of spatial working and reference-memory performance which we have adapted in this study to enable its usage with mice. The holeboard apparatus consists of an open-field chamber with a 25-hole floor insert, each hole being monitored by infrared light beams, located on three different levels, allowing the distinction between visits of holes, i.e. the animal reaches the bottom of the hole, or inspections, which means only superficial exploration of the hole. Across trials, animals learn a pattern of five baited holes. Here, we show that C57BL/6 mice readily acquire this task within 5 days when submitted to six trials per day. A number of individual parameters - overall exploratory activity, number of visits into or inspections of holes, number of baited, unbaited, or previously baited holes visited or inspected, reinspections of or revisits into any holes, number of pellets eaten, time to find pellets, and reference and working memory errors-are obtained simultaneously and results are immediately available after the end of each experiment. The muscarinic antagonist scopolamine impaired task performance, while the cognitive enhancer metrifonate (an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor) reduced error rates. Overall, our data indicate that this spatial learning task will be useful to characterize spatial memory in various genetic or pharmacological mouse models.
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Seigers R, Fardell JE. Neurobiological basis of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment: A review of rodent research. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2011; 35:729-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2010] [Revised: 09/15/2010] [Accepted: 09/16/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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van der Staay FJ, Schuurman T, van Reenen CG, Korte SM. Emotional reactivity and cognitive performance in aversively motivated tasks: a comparison between four rat strains. BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS : BBF 2009; 5:50. [PMID: 20003525 PMCID: PMC2805679 DOI: 10.1186/1744-9081-5-50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2009] [Accepted: 12/15/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive function might be affected by the subjects' emotional reactivity. We assessed whether behavior in different tests of emotional reactivity is correlated with performance in aversively motivated learning tasks, using four strains of rats generally considered to have a different emotional reactivity. METHODS The performance of male Brown Norway, Lewis, Fischer 344, and Wistar Kyoto rats in open field (OF), elevated plus-maze (EPM), and circular light-dark preference box (cLDB) tasks, which are believed to provide measures of emotional reactivity, was evaluated. Spatial working and reference memory were assessed in two aversively motivated learning and memory tasks: the standard and the "repeated acquisition" versions of the Morris water maze escape task, respectively. All rats were also tested in a passive avoidance task. At the end of the study, levels of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, and 5-HT turnover in the hippocampus and frontal cortex were determined. RESULTS Strain differences showed a complex pattern across behavioral tests and serotonergic measures. Fischer 344 rats had the poorest performance in both versions of the Morris water escape task, whereas Brown Norway rats performed these tasks very well but the passive avoidance task poorly. Neither correlation analysis nor principal component analysis provided convincing support for the notion that OF, EPM, and cLDB tasks measure the same underlying trait. CONCLUSIONS Our findings do not support the hypothesis that the level of emotional reactivity modulates cognitive performance in aversively motivated tasks. Concepts such as "emotional reactivity" and "learning and memory" cannot adequately be tapped with only one behavioral test. Our results emphasize the need for multiple testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Josef van der Staay
- Programme Emotion & Cognition, Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Utrecht, PO Box 80151, 3508 TD Utrecht, the Netherlands
- BioMedical Research, Wageningen University and Research Center, Lelystad, the Netherlands
- Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Teun Schuurman
- BioMedical Research, Wageningen University and Research Center, Lelystad, the Netherlands
| | - Cornelis G van Reenen
- Livestock Research, Wageningen University and Research Center, Lelystad, the Netherlands
| | - S Mechiel Korte
- Programme Emotion & Cognition, Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Utrecht, PO Box 80151, 3508 TD Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychopharmacology, Utrecht Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Van Dam D, Vloeberghs E, Abramowski D, Staufenbiel M, De Deyn PPP. APP23 mice as a model of Alzheimer's disease: an example of a transgenic approach to modeling a CNS disorder. CNS Spectr 2005; 10:207-22. [PMID: 15744222 DOI: 10.1017/s1092852900010051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Animal models are considered essential in research ensuing elucidation of human disease processes and subsequently, testing of potential therapeutic strategies. This is especially true for neurodegenerative disorders, in which the first steps in pathogenesis are often not accessible in human patients. Alzheimer's disease is vastly becoming a major medical and socioeconomic problem in our aging society. Valid animal models for this uniquely human condition should exhibit histopathological, biochemical, cognitive, and behavioral alterations observed in Alzheimer's disease patients. Major progress has been made since the understanding of the genetic basis of Alzheimer's disease and the development and improvement of transgenic mouse models. All present Alzheimer's disease models developed are partial but nevertheless essential in further unraveling the nature and spatial and temporal development of the complex molecular pathology underlying this condition. One of the more recent transgenic attempts to model Alzheimer's disease is the APP23 transgenic mouse. This article describes the development and assessment of this human amyloid precursor protein overexpression model. We summarize histopathological and biochemical, cognitive and behavioral observations made in heterozygous APP23 mice, thereby emphasizing the model's contribution to clarification of neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. In addition, the first therapeutic interventions in the APP23 model are included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debby Van Dam
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behaviour, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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Barceló-Coblijn G, Högyes E, Kitajka K, Puskás LG, Zvara A, Hackler L, Nyakas C, Penke Z, Farkas T. Modification by docosahexaenoic acid of age-induced alterations in gene expression and molecular composition of rat brain phospholipids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100:11321-6. [PMID: 13679584 PMCID: PMC208755 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1734008100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Advanced age is associated with reduced brain levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Memory impairment is also a common phenomenon in this age. Two-year-old, essential fatty acid-sufficient rats were fed with fish oil (11% DHA) for 1 month, and fatty acid as well as molecular composition of the major phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), was compared with that of 2-month-old rats on the same diet. DHA but not AA was significantly reduced in brains of old rats but was restored to the level of young rats when they received rat chow fortified with fish oil. This effect was pronounced with diacyl 18:0/22:6 PE species, whereas levels of 18:1/22:6 and 16:0/22:6 remained unchanged in all of the three PE subclasses. Fish oil reduced the AA in the old rat brains, diacyl and alkenylacyl 18:0/20:4 PE being most affected. Phosphatidylcholines gave less pronounced response. Six genes were up-regulated, whereas no significant changes were observed in brains of old rats receiving fish oil for 1 month. None of them except synuclein in young rat brains could be related to mental functions. Old rats on the fish-oil diet did not perform better in Morris water maze test than the control ones. A 10% increase in levels of diacyl 18:0/22:6 PE in young rat brains resulted in a significant improvement of learning capacity. The results are interpreted in terms of the roles of different phospholipid molecular species in cognitive functions coupled with differential responsiveness of the genetic machinery of neurons to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwendolyn Barceló-Coblijn
- Institute of Biochemistry and Laboratory of Functional Genomics, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
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Shimizu H, Ohgoh M, Momose Y, Nishizawa Y, Ogura H. Massive cell death of cerebellar granule neurons accompanied with caspase-3-like protease activation and subsequent motor discoordination after intracerebroventricular injection of vincristine in mice. Neuroscience 2003; 115:55-65. [PMID: 12401321 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(02)00403-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Vincristine, a microtubule-depolymerizing agent, is known to induce neuronal cell damage. Biochemical, histological and behavioral alterations were investigated after intracerebroventricular injection of vincristine in mice. Intracerebroventricular injection of vincristine caused caspase-3-like protease activation followed by nucleosomal release in the cerebellum. Histological examinations showed that vincristine-induced damage was relatively specific to granule cells in the cerebellum, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling-positive cells were observed among these cells. Chromatin condensation, one of the criteria for apoptosis, was seen on electron microscopy. Behavioral changes, namely head movements, pivoting and backward walking, were observed in parallel with the increase of caspase-3-like protease activity and nucleosomal release. Furthermore, motor function tests (bulb balance test and rotating rod test) showed deficits of motor coordination ability. These observations suggest that intracerebroventricular vincristine causes massive apoptosis of cerebellar granule cells accompanied with caspase-3-like protease activation, leading to motor dysfunction, in this model. These vincristine-treated mice should be a useful in vivo model for examination of neuronal apoptosis, which might be involved in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Shimizu
- Eisai Tsukuba Research Laboratories, 5-1-3 Tokodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 300-2635, Japan.
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