In addition to cognitive deterioration, Alzheimer's disease patients exhibit behavioral and psychological signs and symptoms of dementia. Behavioral alterations are a major source of caregiver stress and an important contributor in the decision to institutionalize patients. The amyloid precursor protein (APP) 23 transgenic mouse model develops amyloid plaques from the age of 6 months onward and exhibits tau pathology, which is absent in most other amyloid-based models. Besides mimicking the demented patients' memory deficits, these transgenic mice present with various behavioral disturbances, thereby approximating the clinical situation remarkably well. Using an isolation-induced/resident-intruder paradigm of aggression, the authors revealed increased aggressiveness in male APP23 mice at the ages of 6 and 12 months. The presence of aggressive disturbances in this valuable mouse model opens perspectives to evaluate aggression-modulating therapies.
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