Behavioral and neurobiological markers of Alzheimer's disease in Ts65Dn mice: effects of estrogen

Neurobiol Aging. 2004 Aug;25(7):873-84. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2003.10.010.

Abstract

Individuals with Down's syndrome (DS) develop neuropathological features similar to Alzheimer's disease (AD) early in life, including dementia, accumulation of beta-amyloid, and irregular phosphorylation of tau proteins. Ts65Dn mice, an animal model of DS, provide a unique method to investigate the mechanisms related to AD-like symptoms in DS and possible therapeutic interventions. Ts65Dn mice undergo a decline in cholinergic phenotype and cognitive deterioration beginning at 6-8 months of age. In middle-aged female Ts65Dn mice, estrogen supplementation alleviated these cholinergic and cognitive impairments. The current study investigated AD-like markers and the effects of estrogen in male Ts65Dn mice. Estrogen treatment prior to behavioral testing did not improve cognitive deficits in 6-month-old male Ts65Dn mice, but decreased total and phosphorylated (pS199) tau in the entorhinal cortex compared to normosomic animals. Hippocampal beta-amyloid(1-42) levels were increased in Ts65Dn animals, regardless of estrogen treatment. These findings further support Ts65Dn mice as a model for specific AD-like symptoms, and demonstrate that estrogen treatment of this type does not improve the cognitive ability of male Ts65Dn mice.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease / diagnosis*
  • Alzheimer Disease / genetics
  • Alzheimer Disease / physiopathology*
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / genetics
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / metabolism*
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Biomarkers / analysis
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Cognition / physiology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Down Syndrome / genetics
  • Down Syndrome / physiopathology
  • Estradiol / metabolism*
  • Estradiol / pharmacology
  • Male
  • Maze Learning / physiology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Mutant Strains
  • Neuroprotective Agents / metabolism*
  • Single-Blind Method
  • Trisomy
  • tau Proteins / genetics
  • tau Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Biomarkers
  • Neuroprotective Agents
  • tau Proteins
  • Estradiol