Longitudinal assessment of cognitive function in the APPswe/PS1dE9 mouse model of Alzheimer’s-related beta-amyloidosis
Abstract
Preclinical models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related cognitive decline can be useful for developing therapeutics. The current study longitudinally assessed short-term memory, using a delayed matching-to-position (DMTP) task, and attention, using a 3-choice serial reaction time (3CSRT) task, from approximately 18 weeks of age through death or 72 weeks of age in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice, a widely used mouse model of AD-related amyloidosis. Both transgenic (Tg) and non-Tg mice exhibited improvements in DMTP accuracy over time. Breaks in testing reduced DMTP accuracy but accuracy values quickly recovered in both Tg and non-Tg mice. Both Tg and non-Tg mice exhibited high accuracy in the 3CSRT task with breaks in testing briefly reducing accuracy values equivalently in the 2 genotypes. The current results raise the possibility that deficits in Tg APPswe/PS1dE9 mice involve impairments in learning rather than declines in established performances. A better understanding of the factors that determine whether deficits develop will be useful for designing evaluations of potential pharmacotherapeutics and may reveal interventions for clinical application.
Paul Soto, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Alena Savonenko, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Departments of Pathology & Neurology
Breanna Harris, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
I am a behavioral endocrinologist studying how organisms physiologically and behaviorally respond to and cope with challenges (stressors).