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Zhang NK, Zhang SK, Zhang LI, Tao HW, Zhang GW. Sensory processing deficits and related cortical pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1213379. [PMID: 37649717 PMCID: PMC10464619 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1213379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting cognitive functions. However, sensory deficits in AD start to draw attention due to their high prevalence and early onsets which suggest that they could potentially serve as diagnostic biomarkers and even contribute to the disease progression. This literature review examines the sensory deficits and cortical pathological changes observed in visual, auditory, olfactory, and somatosensory systems in AD patients, as well as in various AD animal models. Sensory deficits may emerge at the early stages of AD, or even precede the cognitive decline, which is accompanied by cortical pathological changes including amyloid-beta deposition, tauopathy, gliosis, and alterations in neuronal excitability, synaptic inputs, and functional plasticity. Notably, these changes are more pronounced in sensory association areas and superficial cortical layers, which may explain the relative preservation of basic sensory functions but early display of deficits of higher sensory functions. We propose that sensory impairment and the progression of AD may establish a cyclical relationship that mutually perpetuates each condition. This review highlights the significance of sensory deficits with or without cortical pathological changes in AD and emphasizes the need for further research to develop reliable early detection and intervention through sensory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole K. Zhang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Selena K. Zhang
- Biomedical Engineering Program, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Li I. Zhang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Physiology & Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Huizhong W. Tao
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Physiology & Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Guang-Wei Zhang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Tsui KC, Roy J, Chau SC, Wong KH, Shi L, Poon CH, Wang Y, Strekalova T, Aquili L, Chang RCC, Fung ML, Song YQ, Lim LW. Distribution and inter-regional relationship of amyloid-beta plaque deposition in a 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:964336. [PMID: 35966777 PMCID: PMC9371463 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.964336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Although previous studies have selectively investigated the localization of amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition in certain brain regions, a comprehensive characterization of the rostro-caudal distribution of Aβ plaques in the brain and their inter-regional correlation remain unexplored. Our results demonstrated remarkable working and spatial memory deficits in 9-month-old 5xFAD mice compared to wildtype mice. High Aβ plaque load was detected in the somatosensory cortex, piriform cortex, thalamus, and dorsal/ventral hippocampus; moderate levels of Aβ plaques were observed in the motor cortex, orbital cortex, visual cortex, and retrosplenial dysgranular cortex; and low levels of Aβ plaques were located in the amygdala, and the cerebellum; but no Aβ plaques were found in the hypothalamus, raphe nuclei, vestibular nucleus, and cuneate nucleus. Interestingly, the deposition of Aβ plaques was positively associated with brain inter-regions including the prefrontal cortex, somatosensory cortex, medial amygdala, thalamus, and the hippocampus. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive morphological profile of Aβ deposition in the brain and its inter-regional correlation. This suggests an association between Aβ plaque deposition and specific brain regions in AD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka Chun Tsui
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jaydeep Roy
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Sze Chun Chau
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kah Hui Wong
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Lei Shi
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Chi Him Poon
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yingyi Wang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Tatyana Strekalova
- Department of Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Department of Normal Physiology and Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Luca Aquili
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Discipline of Psychology, College of Science, Health, Engineering, and Education, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Raymond Chuen-Chung Chang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Man-Lung Fung
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- *Correspondence: Man-Lung Fung,
| | - You-qiang Song
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- You-qiang Song,
| | - Lee Wei Lim
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Lee Wei Lim,
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Fulopova B, Stuart KE, Bennett W, Bindoff A, King AE, Vickers JC, Canty AJ. Regional differences in beta amyloid plaque deposition and variable response to midlife environmental enrichment in the cortex of APP/PS1 mice. J Comp Neurol 2020; 529:1849-1862. [PMID: 33104234 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Environmentally enriched housing conditions can increase performance on cognitive tasks in APP/PS1 mice; however, the potential effects of environmental enrichment (EE) on disease modification in terms of pathological change are inconclusive. We hypothesized that previous contrasting findings may be attributable to regional differences in susceptibility to amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque deposition in cortical regions that are functionally associated with EE. We characterized fibrillar plaque deposition in 6, 12, and 18-22 months old APP/PS1 mice in the prefrontal (PFC), somatosensory (SS2), and primary motor cortex (M1). We found a significant increase in plaque load between 6 and 12 months in all regions. In animals over 12 months, only the PFC region continued to significantly accumulate plaques. Additionally, 12 months old animals subjected to 6 months of EE showed improved spatial navigation and had significantly fewer plaques in M1 and SS2, but not in the PFC. These findings suggest that the PFC region is selectively susceptible to Aβ deposition and less responsive to the attenuating effects of EE. In contrast, M1 and SS2 regions plateau with respect to Aβ deposition by 12 months of age and are susceptible to amyloid pathology modification by midlife EE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Fulopova
- Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Kimberley E Stuart
- Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - William Bennett
- Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Aidan Bindoff
- Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Anna E King
- Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - James C Vickers
- Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Alison J Canty
- Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
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Porter G, Wattam-Bell J, Bayer A, Haworth J, Braddick O, Atkinson J, Tales A. Different trajectories of decline for global form and global motion processing in aging, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 56:17-24. [PMID: 28482210 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The visual processing of complex motion is impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is unclear whether these impairments are biased toward the motion stream or part of a general disruption of global visual processing, given some reports of impaired static form processing in AD. Here, for the first time, we directly compared the relative preservation of motion and form systems in AD, mild cognitive impairment, and healthy aging, by measuring coherence thresholds for well-established global rotational motion and static form stimuli known to be of equivalent complexity. Our data confirm a marked motion-processing deficit specific to some AD patients, and greater than any form-processing deficit for this group. In parallel, we identified a more gradual decline in static form recognition, with thresholds raised in mild cognitive impairment patients and slightly further in the AD group compared with controls. We conclude that complex motion processing is more vulnerable to decline in dementia than complex form processing, perhaps owing to greater reliance on long-range neural connections heavily targeted by AD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian Porter
- School of Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
| | - John Wattam-Bell
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Antony Bayer
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Judy Haworth
- South Glos Memory Services, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, Bristol, UK
| | - Oliver Braddick
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Janette Atkinson
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andrea Tales
- School of Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Swansea, Swansea, UK
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Maatuf Y, Stern EA, Slovin H. Abnormal Population Responses in the Somatosensory Cortex of Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice. Sci Rep 2016; 6:24560. [PMID: 27079783 PMCID: PMC4832196 DOI: 10.1038/srep24560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2015] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. One of the neuropathological hallmarks of AD is the accumulation of amyloid-β plaques. Overexpression of human amyloid precursor protein in transgenic mice induces hippocampal and neocortical amyloid-β accumulation and plaque deposition that increases with age. The impact of these effects on neuronal population responses and network activity in sensory cortex is not well understood. We used Voltage Sensitive Dye Imaging, to investigate at high spatial and temporal resolution, the sensory evoked population responses in the barrel cortex of aged transgenic (Tg) mice and of age-matched non-transgenic littermate controls (Ctrl) mice. We found that a whisker deflection evoked abnormal sensory responses in the barrel cortex of Tg mice. The response amplitude and the spatial spread of the cortical responses were significantly larger in Tg than in Ctrl mice. At the network level, spontaneous activity was less synchronized over cortical space than in Ctrl mice, however synchronization during evoked responses induced by whisker deflection did not differ between the two groups. Thus, the presence of elevated Aβ and plaques may alter population responses and disrupts neural synchronization in large-scale networks, leading to abnormalities in sensory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yossi Maatuf
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002 Israel
| | - Edward A Stern
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002 Israel.,MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA
| | - Hamutal Slovin
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002 Israel
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Beker S, Goldin M, Menkes-Caspi N, Kellner V, Chechik G, Stern EA. Amyloid-β disrupts ongoing spontaneous activity in sensory cortex. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 221:1173-88. [PMID: 25523106 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0963-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The effect of Alzheimer's disease pathology on activity of individual neocortical neurons in the intact neural network remains obscure. Ongoing spontaneous activity, which constitutes most of neocortical activity, is the background template on which further evoked-activity is superimposed. We compared in vivo intracellular recordings and local field potentials (LFP) of ongoing activity in the barrel cortex of APP/PS1 transgenic mice and age-matched littermate CONTROLS, following significant amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation and aggregation. We found that membrane potential dynamics of neurons in Aβ-burdened cortex significantly differed from those of nontransgenic CONTROLS durations of the depolarized state were considerably shorter, and transitions to that state frequently failed. The spiking properties of APP/PS1 neurons showed alterations from those of CONTROLS both firing patterns and spike shape were changed in the APP/PS1 group. At the population level, LFP recordings indicated reduced coherence within neuronal assemblies of APP/PS1 mice. In addition to the physiological effects, we show that morphology of neurites within the barrel cortex of the APP/PS1 model is altered compared to CONTROLS. These results are consistent with a process where the effect of Aβ on spontaneous activity of individual neurons amplifies into a network effect, reducing network integrity and leading to a wide cortical dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shlomit Beker
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Miri Goldin
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Noa Menkes-Caspi
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Vered Kellner
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Gal Chechik
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Edward A Stern
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel.
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
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BACE1 is necessary for experience-dependent homeostatic synaptic plasticity in visual cortex. Neural Plast 2014; 2014:128631. [PMID: 24963413 PMCID: PMC4053288 DOI: 10.1155/2014/128631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of age-related dementia, which is thought to result from overproduction and/or reduced clearance of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides. Studies over the past few decades suggest that Aβ is produced in an activity-dependent manner and has physiological relevance to normal brain functions. Similarly, physiological functions for β- and γ-secretases, the two key enzymes that produce Aβ by sequentially processing the amyloid precursor protein (APP), have been discovered over recent years. In particular, activity-dependent production of Aβ has been suggested to play a role in homeostatic regulation of excitatory synaptic function. There is accumulating evidence that activity-dependent immediate early gene Arc is an activity “sensor,” which acts upstream of Aβ production and triggers AMPA receptor endocytosis to homeostatically downregulate the strength of excitatory synaptic transmission. We previously reported that Arc is critical for sensory experience-dependent homeostatic reduction of excitatory synaptic transmission in the superficial layers of visual cortex. Here we demonstrate that mice lacking the major neuronal β-secretase, BACE1, exhibit a similar phenotype: stronger basal excitatory synaptic transmission and failure to adapt to changes in visual experience. Our results indicate that BACE1 plays an essential role in sensory experience-dependent homeostatic synaptic plasticity in the neocortex.
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Clustering of plaques contributes to plaque growth in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol 2013; 126:179-88. [PMID: 23775142 PMCID: PMC3722456 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-013-1137-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2013] [Accepted: 05/29/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Post-mortem analysis of plaque development in mouse models of AD revealed that plaques are initially small, but then increase in size and become more numerous with age. There is evidence that plaques can grow uniformly over time; however, a complementary hypothesis of plaque development is that small plaques cluster and grow together thereby forming larger plaques. To investigate the latter hypothesis, we studied plaque formation in APPPS1 mice using in vivo two-photon microscopy and immunohistochemical analysis. We used sequential pre- and post-mortem staining techniques to label plaques at different stages of development and to detect newly emerged plaques. Post-mortem analysis revealed that a subset (22 %) of newly formed plaques appeared very close (<40 μm) to pre-existing plaques and that many close plaques (25 %) that were initially separate merged over time to form one single large plaque. Our results suggest that small plaques can cluster together, thus forming larger plaques as a complementary mechanism to simple uniform plaque growth from a single initial plaque. This study deepens our understanding of Aβ deposition and demonstrates that there are multiple mechanisms at play in plaque development.
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