scholarly journals Inhibitory Neural Network’s Impairments at Hippocampal CA1 LTP in an Aged Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 698
Author(s):  
Hyeon Jeong Seo ◽  
Jung Eun Park ◽  
Seong-Min Choi ◽  
Taekyoung Kim ◽  
Soo Hyun Cho ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a rapid accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) protein in the hippocampus, which impairs synaptic structures and neuronal signal transmission, induces neuronal loss, and diminishes memory and cognitive functions. The present study investigated the impact of neuregulin 1 (NRG1)-ErbB4 signaling on the impairment of neural networks underlying hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in 5xFAD mice, a model of AD with greater symptom severity than that of TG2576 mice. Specifically, we observed parvalbumin (PV)-containing hippocampal interneurons, the effect of NRG1 on hippocampal LTP, and the functioning of learning and memory. We found a significant decrease in the number of PV interneurons in 11-month-old 5xFAD mice. Moreover, synaptic transmission in the 5xFAD mice decreased at 6 months of age. The 11-month-old transgenic AD mice showed fewer inhibitory PV neurons and impaired NRG1-ErbB4 signaling than did wild-type mice, indicating that the former exhibit the impairment of neuronal networks underlying LTP in the hippocampal Schaffer-collateral pathway. In conclusion, this study confirmed the impaired LTP in 5xFAD mice and its association with aberrant NRG1-ErbB signaling in the neuronal network.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1144
Author(s):  
Ariel Angel ◽  
Rotem Volkman ◽  
Tabitha Grace Royal ◽  
Daniel Offen

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. Caspases, a family of cysteine proteases, are major mediators of apoptosis and inflammation. Caspase-6 is considered to be an up-stream modulator of AD pathogenesis as active caspase-6 is abundant in neuropil threads, neuritic plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles of AD brains. In order to further elucidate the role of caspase-6 activity in the pathogenesis of AD, we produced a double transgenic mouse model, combining the 5xFAD mouse model of AD with caspase-6 knock out (C6-KO) mice. Behavioral examinations of 5xFAD/C6-KO double transgenic mice showed improved performance in spatial learning, memory, and anxiety/risk assessment behavior, as compared to 5xFAD mice. Hippocampal mRNA expression analyses showed significantly reduced levels of inflammatory mediator TNF-α, while the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was increased in 5xFAD/C6-KO mice. A significant reduction in amyloid-β plaques could be observed and immunohistochemistry analyses showed reduced levels of activated microglia and astrocytes in 5xFAD/C6-KO, compared to 5xFAD mice. Together, these results indicate a substantial role for caspase-6 in the pathology of the 5xFAD model of AD and suggest further validation of caspase-6 as a potential therapeutic target for AD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna A. Lauer ◽  
Daniel Janitschke ◽  
Malena dos Santos Guilherme ◽  
Vu Thu Thuy Nguyen ◽  
Cornel M. Bachmann ◽  
...  

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a very frequent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by an accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ). Acitretin, a retinoid-derivative and approved treatment for Psoriasis vulgaris, increases non-amyloidogenic Amyloid-Precursor-Protein-(APP)-processing, prevents Aβ-production and elicits cognitive improvement in AD mouse models. As an unintended side effect, acitretin could result in hyperlipidemia. Here, we analyzed the impact of acitretin on the lipidome in brain and liver tissue in the 5xFAD mouse-model. In line with literature, triglycerides were increased in liver accompanied by increased PCaa, plasmalogens and acyl-carnitines, whereas SM-species were decreased. In brain, these effects were partially enhanced or similar but also inverted. While for SM and plasmalogens similar effects were found, PCaa, TAG and acyl-carnitines showed an inverse effect in both tissues. Our findings emphasize, that potential pharmaceuticals to treat AD should be carefully monitored with respect to lipid-homeostasis because APP-processing itself modulates lipid-metabolism and medication might result in further and unexpected changes. Moreover, deducing effects of brain lipid-homeostasis from results obtained for other tissues should be considered cautiously. With respect to acitretin, the increase in brain plasmalogens might display a further positive probability in AD-treatment, while other results, such as decreased SM, indicate the need of medical surveillance for treated patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao-Hsiang Shih ◽  
Ling-Hsien Tu ◽  
Ting-Yu Chang ◽  
Kiruthika Ganesan ◽  
Wei-Wei Chang ◽  
...  

AbstractTDP-43 inclusions are found in many Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients presenting faster disease progression and greater brain atrophy. Previously, we showed full-length TDP-43 forms spherical oligomers and perturbs amyloid-β (Aβ) fibrillization. To elucidate the role of TDP-43 in AD, here, we examined the effect of TDP-43 in Aβ aggregation and the attributed toxicity in mouse models. We found TDP-43 inhibited Aβ fibrillization at initial and oligomeric stages. Aβ fibrillization was delayed specifically in the presence of N-terminal domain containing TDP-43 variants, while C-terminal TDP-43 was not essential for Aβ interaction. TDP-43 significantly enhanced Aβ’s ability to impair long-term potentiation and, upon intrahippocampal injection, caused spatial memory deficit. Following injection to AD transgenic mice, TDP-43 induced inflammation, interacted with Aβ, and exacerbated AD-like pathology. TDP-43 oligomers mostly colocalized with intracellular Aβ in the brain of AD patients. We conclude that TDP-43 inhibits Aβ fibrillization through its interaction with Aβ and exacerbates AD pathology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alpdogan Kantarci ◽  
Christina M. Tognoni ◽  
Wael Yaghmoor ◽  
Amin Marghalani ◽  
Danielle Stephens ◽  
...  

Abstract Periodontal disease (PD) has been suggested to be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We tested the impact of ligature-induced PD on 5xFAD mice and WT littermates. At baseline, 5xFAD mice presented significant alveolar bone loss compared to WT mice. After the induction of PD, both WT and 5xFAD mice experienced alveolar bone loss. PD increased the level of Iba1-immunostained microglia in WT mice. In 5xFAD mice, PD increased the level of insoluble Aβ42. The increased level in Iba1 immunostaining that parallels the accumulation of Aβ in 5xFAD mice was not affected by PD except for a decrease in the dentate gyrus. Analysis of double-label fluorescent images showed a decline in Iba1 in the proximity of Aβ plaques in 5xFAD mice with PD compared to those without PD suggesting a PD-induced decrease in plaque-associated microglia (PAM). PD reduced IL-6, MCP-1, GM-CSF, and IFN-γ in brains of WT mice and reduced IL-10 in 5xFAD mice. The data demonstrated that PD increases neuroinflammation in WT mice and disrupts the neuroinflammatory response in 5xFAD mice and suggest that microglia is central to the association between PD and AD.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Elisabeth Siwek ◽  
Ralf Müller ◽  
Christina Henseler ◽  
Astrid Trog ◽  
Andreas Lundt ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by impairment of memory function. The 5XFAD mouse model was analyzed and compared with wild-type (WT) controls for aberrant cortical excitability and hippocampal theta oscillations by using simultaneous video-electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring. Seizure staging revealed that 5XFAD mice exhibited cortical hyperexcitability whereas controls did not. In addition, 5XFAD mice displayed a significant increase in hippocampal theta activity from the light to dark phase during nonmotor activity. We also observed a reduction in mean theta frequency in 5XFAD mice compared to controls that was again most prominent during nonmotor activity. Transcriptome analysis of hippocampal probes and subsequent qPCR validation revealed an upregulation of Plcd4 that might be indicative of enhanced muscarinic signalling. Our results suggest that 5XFAD mice exhibit altered cortical excitability, hippocampal dysrhythmicity, and potential changes in muscarinic signaling.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jahirul Islam ◽  
Jung-Ah Cho ◽  
Ju-yong Kim ◽  
Kyung-Sun Park ◽  
Young-Jae koh ◽  
...  

Abstract Amyloid β (Aβ) and/or ATP activates NLRP3 inflammasome (N3I) by P2 × 7R ion channel of microglia, which is crucial in neuroinflammation shown in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Due to polymorphisms, subtypes, and ubiquitous expression of P2 × 7R, inhibition of P2 × 7R has not been effective for AD. We first report that GPCR19 is a prerequisite for P2 × 7R-mediated N3I activation and Taurodeoxycholate (TDCA), a GPCR19 ligand, inhibited the priming phase of N3I activation, suppressed P2 × 7R expression and P2 × 7R-mediated Ca++ mobilization, and N3I oligomerization which is essential for production of IL-1β/IL-18. Further, TDCA increased expression of scavenger receptor (SR) A, enhanced phagocytosis of Aβ, and decreased Aβ plaque numbers in the brain of 5x Familial Alzheimer’s disease (5xFAD) mice. TDCA also reduced microgliosis, prevented neuronal loss, and improved memory function of 5xFAD mice. The pleiotropic roles of GPCR19 in P2 × 7-mediated N3I activation suggest that targeting GPCR19 might resolve neuroinflammation in AD patients.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tasha R. Womack ◽  
Craig Vollert ◽  
Odochi Nwoko ◽  
Monika Schmitt ◽  
Sagi Montazari ◽  
...  

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is the most common cause of dementia in aged populations. A substantial amount of data demonstrates that chronic neuroinflammation can accelerate neurodegenerative pathologies, while epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that the use of anti-inflammatory agents may be neuroprotective. In AD, chronic neuroinflammation results in the upregulation of cyclooxygenase and increased production of prostaglandin H2, a precursor for many vasoactive prostanoids. While it is well-established that many prostaglandins can modulate the progression of neurodegenerative disorders, the role of prostacyclin (PGI2) in the brain is poorly understood. We have conducted studies to assess the effect of elevated prostacyclin biosynthesis in a mouse model of AD. Upregulated prostacyclin expression significantly worsened multiple measures associated with amyloid disease pathologies. Mice overexpressing both amyloid and PGI2 exhibited impaired learning and memory and increased anxiety-like behavior compared with non-transgenic and PGI2 control mice. PGI2 overexpression accelerated the development of amyloid accumulation in the brain and selectively increased the production of soluble amyloid-β 42. PGI2 damaged the microvasculature through alterations in vascular length and branching; amyloid expression exacerbated these effects. Our findings demonstrate that chronic prostacyclin expression plays a novel and unexpected role that hastens the development of the AD phenotype.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Garder ◽  
Catharine Brady ◽  
Cameron Keeton ◽  
Anuj K Yadav ◽  
Sharath C Mallojjala ◽  
...  

<p>In the context of deep-tissue disease biomarker detection and analyte sensing of biologically relevant species, the impact of photoacoustic imaging has been profound. However, most photoacoustic imaging agents to date are based on the repurposing of existing fluorescent dye platforms that exhibit non-optimal properties for photoacoustic applications (e.g., high fluorescence quantum yield). Herein, we introduce two effective modifications to the hemicyanine dye to afford PA-HD, a new dye scaffold optimized for photoacoustic probe development. We observed a significant increase in the photoacoustic output, representing an increase in sensitivity of 4.8-fold and a red-shift of the λ<sub>abs</sub> from 690 nm to 745 nm to enable ratiometric imaging. Moreover, to demonstrate the generalizability and utility of our remodeling efforts, we developed three probes using common analyte-responsive triggers for beta-galactosidase activity (PA-HD-Gal), nitroreductase activity (PA-HD-NTR), and hydrogen peroxide (PA-HD-H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>). The performance of each probe (responsiveness, selectivity) was evaluated <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in cellulo</i>. To showcase the enhance properties afforded by PA-HD for <i>in vivo</i> photoacoustic imaging, we employed an Alzheimer’s disease model to detect H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. In particular, the photoacoustic signal at 735 nm in the brains of 5xFAD mice (a murine model of Alzheimer’s disease) increased by 1.72 ± 0.20-fold relative to background indicating the presence of oxidative stress, whereas the change in wildtype mice was negligible (1.02 ± 0.14). These results were confirmed via ratiometric calibration which was not possible using the parent HD platform.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Cisternas ◽  
Camila Gherardelli ◽  
Paulina Salazar ◽  
Nibaldo C. Inestrosa

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia. Although transgenic Alzheimer's disease (AD) animal models have greatly contributed to our understanding of the disease, therapies tested in these animals have resulted in a high rate of failure in preclinical trials for AD. A promising model is Octodon degus (degu), a Chilean rodent that spontaneously develops AD-like neuropathology. Previous studies have reported that, during aging, degus exhibit a progressive decline in cognitive function, reduced neuroinflammation, and concomitant increases in the number and size of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques in several brain regions. Importantly, in humans and several AD models, a correlation has been shown between brain dysfunction and neuronal glucose utilization impairment, a critical aspect considering the high-energy demand of the brain. However, whether degus develop alterations in glucose metabolism remains unknown. In the present work, we measured several markers of glucose metabolism, namely, glucose uptake, ATP production, and glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) flux, in hippocampal slices from degus of different ages. We found a significant decrease in hippocampal glucose metabolism in aged degus, caused mainly by a drop in glucose uptake, which in turn, reduced ATP synthesis. Moreover, we observed a negative correlation between age and PPP flux. Together, our data further support the use of degus as a model for studying the neuropathology involved in sporadic AD-like pathology and as a potentially valuable tool in the search for effective treatments against the disease.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sourav Samanta ◽  
Kolla Rajasekhar ◽  
Madhu Ramesh ◽  
N. Arul Murugan ◽  
Shadab Alam ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Predominantly, misfolding and aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides associated with multifaceted toxicity is the neuropathological hallmark of AD pathogenesis and thus, primary therapeutic target to ameliorate neuronal toxicity and cognitive deficits. Herein, we report the design, synthesis and evaluation of small molecule inhibitors with naphthalene monoimide scaffold to ameliorate in vitro and in vivo amyloid induced neurotoxicity. The detailed studies established TGR63 as the lead candidate to rescue neuronal cells from amyloid toxicity. The in silico studies showed disruption of salt bridges and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions within Aβ42 fibrils by the interaction of TGR63, causing destabilization of Aβ42 assembly. Remarkably, TGR63 treatment showed a significant reduction in cortical and hippocampal amyloid burden in the progressive stages of APP/PS1 AD mice brain. Various behavioral tests demonstrated rescued cognitive deficits. The excellent biocompatibility, BBB permeability and therapeutic efficacy to reduce amyloid burden make TGR63 a promising candidate for the treatment of AD.


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