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Ondrejcak T, Klyubin I, Hu NW, Yang Y, Zhang Q, Rodriguez BJ, Rowan MJ. Rapidly reversible persistent long-term potentiation inhibition by patient-derived brain tau and amyloid ß proteins. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230234. [PMID: 38853565 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0234] [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: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
How the two pathognomonic proteins of Alzheimer's disease (AD); amyloid ß (Aß) and tau, cause synaptic failure remains enigmatic. Certain synthetic and recombinant forms of these proteins are known to act concurrently to acutely inhibit long-term potentiation (LTP). Here, we examined the effect of early amyloidosis on the acute disruptive action of synaptotoxic tau prepared from recombinant protein and tau in patient-derived aqueous brain extracts. We also explored the persistence of the inhibition of LTP by different synaptotoxic tau preparations. A single intracerebral injection of aggregates of recombinant human tau that had been prepared by either sonication of fibrils (SτAs) or disulfide bond formation (oTau) rapidly and persistently inhibited LTP in rat hippocampus. The threshold for the acute inhibitory effect of oTau was lowered in amyloid precursor protein (APP)-transgenic rats. A single injection of synaptotoxic tau-containing AD or Pick's disease brain extracts also inhibited LTP, for over two weeks. Remarkably, the persistent disruption of synaptic plasticity by patient-derived brain tau was rapidly reversed by a single intracerebral injection of different anti-tau monoclonal antibodies, including one directed to a specific human tau amino acid sequence. We conclude that patient-derived LTP-disrupting tau species persist in the brain for weeks, maintaining their neuroactivity often in concert with Aß. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Long-term potentiation: 50 years on'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Ondrejcak
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College , Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
| | - Igor Klyubin
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College , Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
| | - Neng-Wei Hu
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College , Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Avenue , Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yin Yang
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College , Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Avenue , Zhengzhou 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiancheng Zhang
- School of Physics and Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin , Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
| | - Brian J Rodriguez
- School of Physics and Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin , Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
| | - Michael J Rowan
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College , Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
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Yang Y, Ondrejcak T, Hu NW, Islam S, O'Rourke E, Reilly RB, Cunningham C, Rowan MJ, Klyubin I. Gamma-patterned sensory stimulation reverses synaptic plasticity deficits in rat models of early Alzheimer's disease. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:3402-3411. [PMID: 37655756 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Non-invasive sensory stimulation in the range of the brain's gamma rhythm (30-100 Hz) is emerging as a new potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we investigated the effect of repeated combined exposure to 40 Hz synchronized sound and light stimuli on hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in vivo in three rat models of early AD. We employed a very complete model of AD amyloidosis, amyloid precursor protein (APP)-overexpressing transgenic McGill-R-Thy1-APP rats at an early pre-plaque stage, systemic treatment of transgenic APP rats with corticosterone modelling certain environmental AD risk factors and, importantly, intracerebral injection of highly disease-relevant AD patient-derived synaptotoxic beta-amyloid and tau in wild-type animals. We found that daily treatment with 40 Hz sensory stimulation for 2 weeks fully abrogated the inhibition of LTP in all three models. Moreover, there was a negative correlation between the magnitude of LTP and the level of active caspase-1 in the hippocampus of transgenic APP animals, which suggests that the beneficial effect of 40 Hz stimulation was dependent on modulation of pro-inflammatory mechanisms. Our findings support ongoing clinical trials of gamma-patterned sensory stimulation in early AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Yang
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Tomas Ondrejcak
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Neng-Wei Hu
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Sadia Islam
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Eugene O'Rourke
- Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Richard B Reilly
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Colm Cunningham
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Michael J Rowan
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Igor Klyubin
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Ondrejcak T, Klyubin I, Hu NW, O'Malley TT, Corbett GT, Winters R, Perkinton MS, Billinton A, Prenderville JA, Walsh DM, Rowan MJ. Tau and Amyloid β Protein in Patient-Derived Aqueous Brain Extracts Act Concomitantly to Disrupt Long-Term Potentiation in Vivo. J Neurosci 2023; 43:5870-5879. [PMID: 37491315 PMCID: PMC10423043 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0082-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyloid β protein (Aβ) and tau, the two main proteins implicated in causing Alzheimer's disease (AD), are posited to trigger synaptic dysfunction long before significant synaptic loss occurs in vulnerable circuits. Whereas soluble Aβ aggregates from AD brain are well recognized potent synaptotoxins, less is known about the synaptotoxicity of soluble tau from AD or other tauopathy patient brains. Minimally manipulated patient-derived aqueous brain extracts contain the more diffusible native forms of these proteins. Here, we explore how intracerebral injection of Aβ and tau present in such aqueous extracts of patient brain contribute to disruption of synaptic plasticity in the CA1 area of the male rat hippocampus. Aqueous extracts of certain AD brains acutely inhibited long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission in a manner that required both Aβ and tau. Tau-containing aqueous extracts of a brain from a patient with Pick's disease (PiD) also impaired LTP, and diffusible tau from either AD or PiD brain lowered the threshold for AD brain Aβ to inhibit LTP. Remarkably, the disruption of LTP persisted for at least 2 weeks after a single injection. These findings support a critical role for diffusible tau in causing rapid onset, persistent synaptic plasticity deficits, and promoting Aβ-mediated synaptic dysfunction.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The microtubule-associated protein tau forms relatively insoluble fibrillar deposits in the brains of people with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Pick's diseases. More soluble aggregates of disease-associated tau may diffuse between cells and could cause damage to synapses in vulnerable circuits. We prepared aqueous extracts of diseased cerebral cortex and tested their ability to interfere with synaptic function in the brains of live rats. Tau in these extracts rapidly and persistently disrupted synaptic plasticity and facilitated impairments caused by amyloid β protein, the other major pathologic protein in Alzheimer's disease. These findings show that certain diffusible forms of tau can mediate synaptic dysfunction and may be a target for therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Ondrejcak
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Medicine and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Igor Klyubin
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Medicine and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Neng-Wei Hu
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Medicine and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Tiernan T O'Malley
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Grant T Corbett
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Róisín Winters
- Transpharmation Ireland, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Michael S Perkinton
- Neuroscience, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca UK, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, United Kingdom
| | - Andy Billinton
- Neuroscience, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca UK, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, United Kingdom
| | - Jack A Prenderville
- Transpharmation Ireland, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Dominic M Walsh
- Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Research, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Michael J Rowan
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Medicine and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Emmerson JT, Do Carmo S, Liu Y, Shalhoub A, Liu A, Bonomo Q, Malcolm JC, Breuillaud L, Cuello AC. Progressive human-like tauopathy with downstream neurodegeneration and neurovascular compromise in a transgenic rat model. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 184:106227. [PMID: 37454780 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106227] [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: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), clinically present with progressive cognitive decline and the deposition of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the brain. Neurovascular compromise is also prevalent in AD and FTD however the relationship between tau and the neurovascular unit is less understood relative to other degenerative phenotypes. Current animal models confer the ability to recapitulate aspects of the CNS tauopathies, however, existing models either display overaggressive phenotypes, or do not develop neuronal loss or genuine neurofibrillary lesions. In this report, we communicate the longitudinal characterization of brain tauopathy in a novel transgenic rat model, coded McGill-R955-hTau. The model expresses the longest isoform of human P301S tau. Homozygous R955-hTau rats displayed a robust, progressive accumulation of mutated human tau leading to the detection of tau hyperphosphorylation and cognitive deficits accelerating from 14 months of age. This model features extensive tau hyperphosphorylation with endogenous tau recruitment, authentic neurofibrillary lesions, and tau-associated neuronal loss, ventricular dilation, decreased brain volume, and gliosis in aged rats. Further, we demonstrate how neurovascular integrity becomes compromised at aged life stages using a combination of electron microscopy, injection of the tracer horseradish peroxidase and immunohistochemical approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Emmerson
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - Sonia Do Carmo
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - Yingying Liu
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - Ali Shalhoub
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Ai Liu
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Quentin Bonomo
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Janice C Malcolm
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Lionel Breuillaud
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada
| | - A Claudio Cuello
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal H3G1Y6, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal H3A 1A1, Canada; Department of Pharmacology, Oxford University, Oxford OX13QT, UK.
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Enduring glucocorticoid-evoked exacerbation of synaptic plasticity disruption in male rats modelling early Alzheimer's disease amyloidosis. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2170-2179. [PMID: 34188184 PMCID: PMC8505492 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01056-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Synaptic dysfunction is a likely proximate cause of subtle cognitive impairment in early Alzheimer's disease. Soluble oligomers are the most synaptotoxic forms of amyloid ß-protein (Aß) and mediate synaptic plasticity disruption in Alzheimer's disease amyloidosis. Because the presence and extent of cortisol excess in prodromal Alzheimer's disease predicts the onset of cognitive symptoms we hypothesised that corticosteroids would exacerbate the inhibition of hippocampal synaptic long-term potentiation in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease amyloidosis. In a longitudinal experimental design using freely behaving pre-plaque McGill-R-Thy1-APP male rats, three injections of corticosterone or the glucocorticoid methylprednisolone profoundly disrupted long-term potentiation induced by strong conditioning stimulation for at least 2 months. The same treatments had a transient or no detectible detrimental effect on synaptic plasticity in wild-type littermates. Moreover, corticosterone-mediated cognitive dysfunction, as assessed in a novel object recognition test, was more persistent in the transgenic animals. Evidence for the involvement of pro-inflammatory mechanisms was provided by the ability of the selective the NOD-leucine rich repeat and pyrin containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome inhibitor Mcc950 to reverse the synaptic plasticity deficit in corticosterone-treated transgenic animals. The marked prolongation of the synaptic plasticity disrupting effects of brief corticosteroid excess substantiates a causal role for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation in early Alzheimer's disease.
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Pentkowski NS, Rogge-Obando KK, Donaldson TN, Bouquin SJ, Clark BJ. Anxiety and Alzheimer's disease: Behavioral analysis and neural basis in rodent models of Alzheimer's-related neuropathology. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:647-658. [PMID: 33979573 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is commonly associated with cognitive decline but is also composed of neuropsychiatric symptoms including psychological distress and alterations in mood, including anxiety and depression. Emotional dysfunction in AD is frequently modeled using tests of anxiety-like behavior in transgenic rodents. These tests often include the elevated plus-maze, light/dark test and open field test. In this review, we describe prototypical behavioral paradigms used to examine emotional dysfunction in transgenic models of AD, specifically anxiety-like behavior. Next, we summarize the results of studies examining anxiety-like behavior in transgenic rodents, noting that the behavioral outcomes using these paradigms have produced inconsistent results. We suggest that future research will benefit from using a battery of tests to examine emotional behavior in transgenic AD models. We conclude by discussing putative, overlapping neurobiological mechanisms underlying AD-related neuropathology, stress and anxiety-like behavior reported in AD models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan S Pentkowski
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87109, Mexico.
| | | | - Tia N Donaldson
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87109, Mexico
| | - Samuel J Bouquin
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87109, Mexico
| | - Benjamin J Clark
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87109, Mexico.
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Faldini E, Ahmed T, Bueé L, Blum D, Balschun D. Tau- but not Aß -pathology enhances NMDAR-dependent depotentiation in AD-mouse models. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:202. [PMID: 31815648 PMCID: PMC6902514 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0813-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Many mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibit impairments in hippocampal long-term-potentiation (LTP), seemingly corroborating the strong correlation between synaptic loss and cognitive decline reported in human studies. In other AD mouse models LTP is unaffected, but other defects in synaptic plasticity may still be present. We recently reported that THY-Tau22 transgenic mice, that overexpress human Tau protein carrying P301S and G272 V mutations and show normal LTP upon high-frequency-stimulation (HFS), develop severe changes in NMDAR mediated long-term-depression (LTD), the physiological counterpart of LTP. In the present study, we focused on putative effects of AD-related pathologies on depotentiation (DP), another form of synaptic plasticity. Using a novel protocol to induce DP in the CA1-region, we found in 11-15 months old male THY-Tau22 and APPPS1-21 transgenic mice that DP was not deteriorated by Aß pathology while significantly compromised by Tau pathology. Our findings advocate DP as a complementary form of synaptic plasticity that may help in elucidating synaptic pathomechanisms associated with different types of dementia.
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