1
|
Roddick KM, Schellinck HM, Brown RE. Serial reversal learning in an olfactory discrimination task in 3xTg-AD mice. Learn Mem 2023; 30:310-319. [PMID: 37977821 PMCID: PMC10750865 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053840.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Male and female 3xTg-AD mice between 5 and 24 mo of age and their B6129F2/J wild-type controls were tested on a series of 18 olfactory discrimination and reversal tasks in an operant olfactometer. All mice learned the odor discriminations and reversals to a criterion of 85% correct, but the 3xTg-AD mice made fewer errors than the B6129F2/J mice in the odor discriminations and in the first six reversal learning tasks. Many mice showed evidence of near errorless learning, and on the reversal tasks the 3xTg-AD mice showed more instances of near errorless learning than the B6129F2/J mice. There was no evidence of an age effect on odor discrimination, but there was a decrease in errorless reversal learning in aged B6129F2/J mice. In long-term memory tests, there was an increase in the number of errors made but no genotype difference. The high level of performance indicates that the mice were able to develop a "learning to learn" strategy. The finding that the 3xTg-AD mice outperformed their littermate controls provides an example of paradoxical functional facilitation in these mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle M Roddick
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Heather M Schellinck
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Richard E Brown
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sullivan M, Fernandez-Aranda F, Camacho-Barcia L, Harkin A, Macrì S, Mora-Maltas B, Jiménez-Murcia S, O'Leary A, Ottomana AM, Presta M, Slattery D, Scholtz S, Glennon JC. Insulin and Disorders of Behavioural Flexibility. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 150:105169. [PMID: 37059405 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Behavioural inflexibility is a symptom of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Alzheimer's Disease, encompassing the maintenance of a behaviour even when no longer appropriate. Recent evidence suggests that insulin signalling has roles apart from its regulation of peripheral metabolism and mediates behaviourally-relevant central nervous system (CNS) functions including behavioural flexibility. Indeed, insulin resistance is reported to generate anxious, perseverative phenotypes in animal models, with the Type 2 diabetes medication metformin proving to be beneficial for disorders including Alzheimer's Disease. Structural and functional neuroimaging studies of Type 2 diabetes patients have highlighted aberrant connectivity in regions governing salience detection, attention, inhibition and memory. As currently available therapeutic strategies feature high rates of resistance, there is an urgent need to better understand the complex aetiology of behaviour and develop improved therapeutics. In this review, we explore the circuitry underlying behavioural flexibility, changes in Type 2 diabetes, the role of insulin in CNS outcomes and mechanisms of insulin involvement across disorders of behavioural inflexibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mairéad Sullivan
- Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Fernando Fernandez-Aranda
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lucía Camacho-Barcia
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrew Harkin
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Simone Macrì
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Bernat Mora-Maltas
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susana Jiménez-Murcia
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aet O'Leary
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Angela Maria Ottomana
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; Neuroscience Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Parma, 43100 Parma, Italy
| | - Martina Presta
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Eleftheriou C, Clarke T, Poon V, Zechner M, Duguid I. Visiomode: An open-source platform for building rodent touchscreen-based behavioral assays. J Neurosci Methods 2023; 386:109779. [PMID: 36621552 PMCID: PMC10375831 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109779] [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: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Touchscreen-based behavioral assays provide a robust method for assessing cognitive behavior in rodents, offering great flexibility and translational potential. The development of touchscreen assays presents a significant programming and mechanical engineering challenge, where commercial solutions can be prohibitively expensive and open-source solutions are underdeveloped, with limited adaptability. NEW METHOD Here, we present Visiomode (www.visiomode.org), an open-source platform for building rodent touchscreen-based behavioral tasks. Visiomode leverages the inherent flexibility of touchscreens to offer a simple yet adaptable software and hardware platform. The platform is built on the Raspberry Pi computer combining a web-based interface and powerful plug-in system with an operant chamber that can be adapted to generate a wide range of behavioral tasks. RESULTS As a proof of concept, we use Visiomode to build both simple stimulus-response and more complex visual discrimination tasks, showing that mice display rapid sensorimotor learning including switching between different motor responses (i.e., nose poke versus reaching). COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Commercial solutions are the 'go to' for rodent touchscreen behaviors, but the associated costs can be prohibitive, limiting their uptake by the wider neuroscience community. While several open-source solutions have been developed, efforts so far have focused on reducing the cost, rather than promoting ease of use and adaptability. Visiomode addresses these unmet needs providing a low-cost, extensible platform for creating touchscreen tasks. CONCLUSIONS Developing an open-source, rapidly scalable and low-cost platform for building touchscreen-based behavioral assays should increase uptake across the science community and accelerate the investigation of cognition, decision-making and sensorimotor behaviors both in health and disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Constantinos Eleftheriou
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.
| | - Thomas Clarke
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - V Poon
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Marie Zechner
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Ian Duguid
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Al-Onaizi MA, Thériault P, Lecordier S, Prefontaine P, Rivest S, ElAli A. Early monocyte modulation by the non-erythropoietic peptide ARA 290 decelerates AD-like pathology progression. Brain Behav Immun 2022; 99:363-382. [PMID: 34343617 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition and tau hyper-phosphorylation, accompanied by a progressive cognitive decline. Monocytes have been recently shown to play a major role in modulating Aβ pathology, and thereby have been pointed as potential therapeutic targets. However, the main challenge remains in identifying clinically relevant interventions that could modulate monocyte immune functions in absence of undesired off-target effects. Erythropoietin (EPO), a key regulator of erythrocyte production, has been shown to possess immunomodulatory potential and to provide beneficial effects in preclinical models of AD. However, the transition to use recombinant human EPO in clinical trials was hindered by unwanted erythropoietic effects that could lead to thrombosis. Here, we used a recently identified non-erythropoietic analogue of EPO, ARA 290, to evaluate its therapeutic potential in AD therapy. We first evaluated the effects of early systemic ARA 290 administration on AD-like pathology in an early-onset model, represented by young APP/PS1 mice. Our findings indicate that ARA 290 early treatment decelerated Aβ pathology progression in APP/PS1 mice while improving cognitive functions. ARA 290 potently increased the levels of total monocytes by specifically stimulating the generation of Ly6CLow patrolling subset, which are implicated in clearing Aβ from the cerebral vasculature, and subsequently reducing overall Aβ burden in the brain. Moreover, ARA 290 increased the levels of monocyte progenitors in the bone marrow. Using chimeric APP/PS1 mice in which Ly6CLow patrolling subset are selectively depleted, ARA 290 was inefficient in attenuating Aβ pathology and ameliorating cognitive functions in young animals. Interestingly, ARA 290 effects were compromised when delivered in a late-onset model, represented by aged APP1/PS1. In aged APP/PS1 mice in which AD-like pathology is at advanced stages, ARA 290 failed to reverse Aβ pathology and to increase the levels of circulating monocytes. Our study suggests that ARA 290 early systemic treatment could prevent AD-like progression via modulation of monocyte functions by specifically increasing the ratio of patrolling monocytes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed A Al-Onaizi
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait; Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Peter Thériault
- Neuroscience Axis, Research Center of CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada; Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Sarah Lecordier
- Neuroscience Axis, Research Center of CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Paul Prefontaine
- Neuroscience Axis, Research Center of CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada; Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Serge Rivest
- Neuroscience Axis, Research Center of CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada; Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Ayman ElAli
- Neuroscience Axis, Research Center of CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Shepherd A, Zhang T, Hoffmann LB, Zeleznikow-Johnston AM, Churilov L, Hannan AJ, Burrows EL. A Preclinical Model of Computerized Cognitive Training: Touchscreen Cognitive Testing Enhances Cognition and Hippocampal Cellular Plasticity in Wildtype and Alzheimer's Disease Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:766745. [PMID: 34938165 PMCID: PMC8685297 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.766745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
With the growing popularity of touchscreen cognitive testing in rodents, it is imperative to understand the fundamental effects exposure to this paradigm can have on the animals involved. In this study, we set out to assess hippocampal-dependant learning in the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) on two highly translatable touchscreen tasks – the Paired Associate Learning (PAL) task and the Trial Unique Non-Matching to Location (TUNL) task. Both of these tests are based on human tasks from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and are sensitive to deficits in both mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. Mice were assessed for deficits in PAL at 9–12 months of age, then on TUNL at 8–11 and 13–16 months. No cognitive deficits were evident in APP/PS1 mice at any age, contrary to previous reports using maze-based learning and memory tasks. We hypothesized that daily and long-term touchscreen training may have inadvertently acted as a cognitive enhancer. When touchscreen-tested mice were assessed on the Morris water maze, they showed improved task acquisition compared to naïve APP/PS1 mice and wild-type (WT) littermate controls. In addition, we show that touchscreen-trained WT and APP/PS1 mice show increased cell proliferation and immature neuron numbers in the dentate gyrus compared to behaviorally naïve WT and APP/PS1 mice. This result indicates that the touchscreen testing paradigm could improve cognitive performance, and/or mask an impairment, in experimental mouse models. This touchscreen-induced cognitive enhancement may involve increased neurogenesis, and possibly other forms of cellular plasticity. This is the first study to show increased numbers of proliferating cells and immature neurons in the hippocampus following touchscreen testing, and that touchscreen training can improve cognitive performance in maze-based spatial navigation tasks. This potential for touchscreen testing to induce cognitive enhancement, or other phenotypic shifts, in preclinical models should be considered in study design. Furthermore, touchscreen-mediated cognitive enhancement could have therapeutic implications for cognitive disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy Shepherd
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Tracy Zhang
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Lucas B Hoffmann
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Ariel M Zeleznikow-Johnston
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Leonid Churilov
- Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Anthony J Hannan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Emma L Burrows
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Sun W, Choi I, Stoyanov S, Senkov O, Ponimaskin E, Winter Y, Pakan JMP, Dityatev A. Context value updating and multidimensional neuronal encoding in the retrosplenial cortex. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6045. [PMID: 34663792 PMCID: PMC8523535 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26301-z] [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: 11/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) has diverse functional inputs and is engaged by various sensory, spatial, and associative learning tasks. We examine how multiple functional aspects are integrated on the single-cell level in the RSC and how the encoding of task-related parameters changes across learning. Using a visuospatial context discrimination paradigm and two-photon calcium imaging in behaving mice, a large proportion of dysgranular RSC neurons was found to encode multiple task-related dimensions while forming context-value associations across learning. During reversal learning requiring increased cognitive flexibility, we revealed an increased proportion of multidimensional encoding neurons that showed higher decoding accuracy for behaviorally relevant context-value associations. Chemogenetic inactivation of RSC led to decreased behavioral context discrimination during learning phases in which context-value associations were formed, while recall of previously formed associations remained intact. RSC inactivation resulted in a persistent positive behavioral bias in valuing contexts, indicating a role for the RSC in context-value updating.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weilun Sun
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426Molecular Neuroplasticity, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ilseob Choi
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426Molecular Neuroplasticity, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Stoyan Stoyanov
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426Molecular Neuroplasticity, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Oleg Senkov
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426Molecular Neuroplasticity, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Evgeni Ponimaskin
- grid.10423.340000 0000 9529 9877Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - York Winter
- grid.7468.d0000 0001 2248 7639Institute for Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Janelle M. P. Pakan
- grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Dityatev
- grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426Molecular Neuroplasticity, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Progressive impairments in executive function in the APP/PS1 model of Alzheimer's disease as measured by translatable touchscreen testing. Neurobiol Aging 2021; 108:58-71. [PMID: 34509856 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Executive function deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) occur early in disease progression and may be predictive of cognitive decline. However, no preclinical studies have identified deficits in rewarded executive function in the commonly used APPSwe/PS1∆E9 (APP/PS1) mouse model. To address this, we assessed 12-26 month old APP/PS1 mice on rewarded reversal and/or extinction tasks. 16-month-old, but not 13- or 26-month-old, APP/PS1 mice showed an attenuated rate of extinction. Reversal deficits were seen in 22-month-old, but not 13-month-old APP/PS1 animals. We then confirmed that impairments in reversal were unrelated to previously reported visual impairments in both AD mouse models and humans. Age, but not genotype, had a significant effect on markers of retinal health, indicating the deficits seen in APP/PS1 mice were directly related to cognition. This is the first characterisation of rewarded executive function in APP/PS1 mice, and has great potential to facilitate translation from preclinical models to the clinic.
Collapse
|
8
|
Zhao X, Tran H, DeRosa H, Roderick RC, Kentner AC. Hidden talents: Poly (I:C)-induced maternal immune activation improves mouse visual discrimination performance and reversal learning in a sex-dependent manner. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2021; 20:e12755. [PMID: 34056840 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
While there is a strong focus on the negative consequences of maternal immune activation (MIA) on developing brains, very little attention is directed towards potential advantages of early life challenges. In this study, we utilized a polyinosine-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) MIA model to test visual pairwise discrimination (PD) and reversal learning (RL) in mice using touchscreen technology. Significant sex differences emerged in that MIA reduced the latency for males to make a correct choice in the PD task while females reached criterion sooner, made fewer errors, and utilized fewer correction trials in RL compared to saline controls. These surprising improvements were accompanied by the sex-specific upregulation of several genes critical to cognitive functioning, indicative of compensatory plasticity in response to MIA. In contrast, when exposed to a 'two-hit' stress model (MIA + loss of the social component of environmental enrichment [EE]), mice did not display anhedonia but required an increased number of PD and RL correction trials. These animals also had significant reductions of CamK2a mRNA in the prefrontal cortex. Appropriate functioning of synaptic plasticity, via mediators such as this protein kinase and others, are critical for behavioral flexibility. Although EE has been implicated in, delaying the appearance of symptoms associated with certain brain disorders, these findings are in line with evidence that it also makes individuals more vulnerable to its loss. Overall, with the right 'dose', early life stress exposure can confer at least some functional advantages, which are lost when the number or magnitude of these exposures become too great.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhao
- School of Arts & Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hieu Tran
- School of Arts & Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Holly DeRosa
- School of Arts & Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ryland C Roderick
- School of Arts & Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amanda C Kentner
- School of Arts & Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Nakai T, Yamada K, Mizoguchi H. Alzheimer's Disease Animal Models: Elucidation of Biomarkers and Therapeutic Approaches for Cognitive Impairment. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22115549. [PMID: 34074018 PMCID: PMC8197360 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related and progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It is widely accepted that AD is mainly caused by the accumulation of extracellular amyloid β (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillary tau tangles. Aβ begins to accumulate years before the onset of cognitive impairment, suggesting that the benefit of currently available interventions would be greater if they were initiated in the early phases of AD. To understand the mechanisms of AD pathogenesis, various transgenic mouse models with an accelerated accumulation of Aβ and tau tangles have been developed. However, none of these models exhibit all pathologies present in human AD. To overcome these undesirable phenotypes, APP knock-in mice, which were presented with touchscreen-based tasks, were developed to better evaluate the efficacy of candidate therapeutics in mouse models of early-stage AD. This review assesses several AD mouse models from the aspect of biomarkers and cognitive impairment and discusses their potential as tools to provide novel AD therapeutic approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Nakai
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan; (T.N.); (K.Y.)
| | - Kiyofumi Yamada
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan; (T.N.); (K.Y.)
| | - Hiroyuki Mizoguchi
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan; (T.N.); (K.Y.)
- Medical Interactive Research and Academia Industry Collaboration Center, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-52-744-2674; Fax: +81-52-744-2979
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Palmer D, Dumont JR, Dexter TD, Prado MAM, Finger E, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM. Touchscreen cognitive testing: Cross-species translation and co-clinical trials in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 182:107443. [PMID: 33895351 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Translating results from pre-clinical animal studies to successful human clinical trials in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease presents a significant challenge. While this issue is clearly multifaceted, the lack of reproducibility and poor translational validity of many paradigms used to assess cognition in animal models are central contributors to this challenge. Computer-automated cognitive test batteries have the potential to substantially improve translation between pre-clinical studies and clinical trials by increasing both reproducibility and translational validity. Given the structured nature of data output, computer-automated tests also lend themselves to increased data sharing and other open science good practices. Over the past two decades, computer automated, touchscreen-based cognitive testing methods have been developed for non-human primate and rodent models. These automated methods lend themselves to increased standardization, hence reproducibility, and have become increasingly important for the elucidation of the neurobiological basis of cognition in animal models. More recently, there have been increased efforts to use these methods to enhance translational validity by developing task batteries that are nearly identical across different species via forward (i.e., translating animal tasks to humans) and reverse (i.e., translating human tasks to animals) translation. An additional benefit of the touchscreen approach is that a cross-species cognitive test battery makes it possible to implement co-clinical trials-an approach developed initially in cancer research-for novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. Co-clinical trials bring together pre-clinical and early clinical studies, which facilitates testing of novel treatments in mouse models with underlying genetic or other changes, and can help to stratify patients on the basis of genetic, molecular, or cognitive criteria. This approach can help to determine which patients should be enrolled in specific clinical trials and can facilitate repositioning and/or repurposing of previously approved drugs. This has the potential to mitigate the resources required to study treatment responses in large numbers of human patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Palmer
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Julie R Dumont
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tyler D Dexter
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Finger
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Lawson Health Research Institute, Ontario, Canada; Parkwood Institute, St. Josephs Health Care, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Saifullah MAB, Komine O, Dong Y, Fukumoto K, Sobue A, Endo F, Saito T, Saido TC, Yamanaka K, Mizoguchi H. Touchscreen-based location discrimination and paired associate learning tasks detect cognitive impairment at an early stage in an App knock-in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Brain 2020; 13:147. [PMID: 33183323 PMCID: PMC7664057 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-020-00690-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline with accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles that usually begins 15–30 years before clinical diagnosis. Rodent models that recapitulate aggressive Aβ and/or the pathology of neurofibrillary tangles are essential for AD research. Accordingly, non-invasive early detection systems in these animal models are required to evaluate the phenotypic changes, elucidate the mechanism of disease progression, and facilitate development of novel therapeutic approaches. Although many behavioral tests efficiently reveal cognitive impairments at the later stage of the disease in AD models, it has been challenging to detect such impairments at the early stage. To address this issue, we subjected 4–6-month-old male AppNL−G−F/NL−G−F knock-in (App-KI) mice to touchscreen-based location discrimination (LD), different object–location paired-associate learning (dPAL), and reversal learning tests, and compared the results with those of the classical Morris water maze test. These tests are mainly dependent on the brain regions prone to Aβ accumulation at the earliest stages of the disease. At 4–6 months, considered to represent the early stage of disease when mice exhibit initial deposition of Aβ and slight gliosis, the classical Morris water maze test revealed no difference between groups, whereas touchscreen-based LD and dPAL tasks revealed significant impairments in task performance. Our report is the first to confirm that a systematic touchscreen-based behavioral test battery can sensitively detect the early stage of cognitive decline in an AD-linked App-KI mouse model. This system could be applied in future translational research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Md Ali Bin Saifullah
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Okiru Komine
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yutao Dong
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan.,Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8560, Japan
| | - Kazuya Fukumoto
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Akira Sobue
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Fumito Endo
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Takashi Saito
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan.,Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.,Department of Neurocognitive Science, Institute of Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Takaomi C Saido
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Koji Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mizoguchi
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan. .,Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8560, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Van den Broeck L, Sierksma A, Hansquine P, Thonnard D, Callaerts-Vegh Z, D'Hooge R. Comparison between touchscreen operant chambers and water maze to detect early prefrontal dysfunction in mice. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12695. [PMID: 32812350 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The relative lack of sensitive and clinically valid tests of rodent behavior might be one of the reasons for the limited success of the clinical translation of preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) research findings. There is a general interest in innovative behavioral methodology, and protocols have been proposed for touchscreen operant chambers that might be superior to existing cognitive assessment methods. We assessed and analyzed touchscreen performance in several novel ways to examine the possible occurrence of early signs of prefrontal (PFC) functional decline in the APP/PS1 mouse model of AD. Touchscreen learning performance was compared between APP/PS1-21 mice and wildtype littermates on a C57BL/6J background at 3, 6 and 12 months of age in parallel to the assessment of spatial learning, memory and cognitive flexibility in the Morris water maze (MWM). We found that older mice generally needed more training sessions to complete the touchscreen protocol than younger ones. Older mice also displayed defects in MWM working memory performance, but touchscreen protocols detected functional changes beginning at 3 months of age. Histological changes in PFC of APP/PS1 mice indeed occurred as early as 3 months. Our results suggest that touchscreen operant protocols are more sensitive to PFC dysfunction, which is of relevance to the use of these tasks and devices in preclinical AD research and experimental pharmacology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lore Van den Broeck
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annerieke Sierksma
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pierre Hansquine
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - David Thonnard
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Rudi D'Hooge
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Lee JH, Cho SY, Kim E. Translational cognitive neuroscience of dementia with touchscreen operant chambers. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12664. [PMID: 32374080 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Translational cognitive neuroscience of dementia involves mainly two areas: the validation of newly developed dementia animal models and the preclinical assessment of novel drug candidates in such model animals. To validate new animal models, a multidomain panel (battery) approach is essential in that dementia is, by definition, not merely a memory disorder but rather a multidomain cognitive/behavior disorder: animal modeling with a certain type of dementia would develop cognitive impairments in multiple (two at minimum) domains in a specific order according to unique spreading patterns of its neuropathology. In new drug development, the availability of highly sensitive tools assessing animal cognition is crucial to the detection of cognitive decline at the earliest stage of the disease, which may be an optimal time point to test a drug candidate. Using interspecies translatable (analogous) cognitive tasks would also be necessary to successfully predict the efficacy of drug candidates in subsequent clinical trials. Currently, this translational prediction is seriously limited given discrepancies in behavioral assessment methods between animals and humans in the preclinical and clinical trials, respectively. Since neurodegenerative diseases are often accompanied by not only cognitive but also affective and movement disorders, simultaneous assessment of task-relevant locomotor behavior and motivation is also important to rule out the effects of potential confounders. The touchscreen operant platform may satisfy these needs by offering several advantages over conventional methodology. In this review, we discuss the touchscreen operant chamber system and highlight some of its qualities as a promising and desirable tool for translational research of dementia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji Han Lee
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - So Yeon Cho
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|