scholarly journals Spatial Memory and Gut Microbiota Alterations Are Already Present in Early Adulthood in a Pre-clinical Transgenic Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola C. Bello-Medina ◽  
Fernando Hernández-Quiroz ◽  
Marcel Pérez-Morales ◽  
Diego A. González-Franco ◽  
Guadalupe Cruz-Pauseno ◽  
...  

The irreversible and progressive neurodegenerative Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive decline, extracellular β-amyloid peptide accumulation, and tau neurofibrillary tangles in the cortex and hippocampus. The triple-transgenic (3xTg) mouse model of AD presents memory impairment in several behavioral paradigms and histopathological alterations from 6 to 16 months old. Additionally, it seems that dysbiotic gut microbiota is present in both mouse models and patients of AD at the cognitive symptomatic stage. The present study aimed to assess spatial learning, memory retention, and gut microbiota alterations in an early adult stage of the 3xTg-AD mice as well as to explore its sexual dimorphism. We evaluated motor activity, novel-object localization training, and retention test as well as collected fecal samples to characterize relative abundance, alpha- and beta-diversity, and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) analysis in gut microbiota in both female and male 3xTg-AD mice, and controls [non-transgenic mice (NoTg)], at 3 and 5 months old. We found spatial memory deficits in female and male 3xTg-AD but no alteration neither during training nor in motor activity. Importantly, already at 3 months old, we observed decreased relative abundances of Actinobacteria and TM7 in 3xTg-AD compared to NoTg mice, while the beta diversity of gut microbiota was different in female and male 3xTg-AD mice in comparison to NoTg. Our results suggest that gut microbiota modifications in 3xTg-AD mice anticipate and thus could be causally related to cognitive decline already at the early adult age of AD. We propose that microbiota alterations may be used as an early and non-invasive diagnostic biomarker of AD.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-359
Author(s):  
O. G. Berchenko ◽  
N. O. Levicheva ◽  
D. O. Bevzyuk ◽  
V. V. Sokolik

Memory impairment is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The clinical diagnosis of the disease is made in the later stages of its development, when specific therapy of the disease is not always effective. Therefore, the detection of early behavioral manifestations of memory disorders in the development of the disease will allow the use of preventive therapy aimed at stopping the death of neurons in brain structures. A neuroethological study of working, spatial, and emotional memory was performed in rats 15–16 months of age with a model of early manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease induced by stereotactic administration of β-amyloid peptide 40 aggregates into the hippocampus. Changes in the neuroethological components of working and spatial memory have been identified. Testing of working memory showed a violation in rats of recognizing the shape of identical objects, reducing experimental activity to unfamiliar objects and their differentiation. Spatial orientation disorders have been identified in the Barnes labyrinth. Emotional memory research has shown the preservation of innate forms of protective adaptive behaviour. At the same time, vegetative indicators reflected an increase in emotional tension. Intranasal administration of liposomal miRNA miR-101 involved in liposomes to rats with a model of early manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease improved neuroethological parameters of working and spatial memory. Restoration of the level of research activity and differentiation of familiar and unfamiliar objects in the testing of working memory in rats has been established. Spatial memory in Barnes labyrinth testing was improved by reproducing spatial orientation skills and relieving emotional stress. Thus, the intranasal use of miR-101 in Alzheimer’s disease is a promising approach to prevent the development of amyloidosis and preserve memory in the early manifestations of Alz-heimer’s disease.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Daniel Cuervo-Zanatta ◽  
Jaime Garcia-Mena ◽  
Claudia Perez-Cruz

Background: Normal aging is accompanied by cognitive deficiencies, affecting women and men equally. Aging is the main risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with women having a higher risk. The higher prevalence of AD in women is associated with the abrupt hormonal decline seen after menopause. However, other factors may be involved in this sex-related cognitive decline. Alterations in gut microbiota (GM) and its bioproducts have been reported in AD subjects and transgenic (Tg) mice, having a direct impact on brain amyloid-β pathology in male (M), but not in female (F) mice. Objective: The aim of this work was to determine GM composition and cognitive dysfunction in M and F wildtype (WT) and Tg mice, in a sex/genotype segregation design. Methods: Anxiety, short term working-memory, spatial learning, and long-term spatial memory were evaluated in 6-month-old WT and Tg male mice. Fecal short chain fatty acids were determined by chromatography, and DNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses were used to determine GM differences. Results: We observed sex-dependent differences in cognitive skills in WT mice, favoring F mice. However, the cognitive advantage of females was lost in Tg mice. GM composition showed few sex-related differences in WT mice. Contrary, Tg-M mice presented a more severe dysbiosis than Tg-F mice. A decreased abundance of Ruminococcaceae was associated with cognitive deficits in Tg-F mice, while butyrate levels were positively associated with better working- and object recognition-memory in WT-F mice. Conclusion: This report describes a sex-dependent association between GM alterations and cognitive impairment in a mice model of AD.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 3712-3724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Jafari ◽  
Jogender Mehla ◽  
Bryan E Kolb ◽  
Majid H Mohajerani

Abstract Besides well-known risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), stress, and in particular noise stress (NS), is a lifestyle risk factor common today. It is known that females are at a significantly greater risk of developing AD than males, and given that stress is a common adversity in females during pregnancy, we hypothesized that gestational noise exposure could exacerbate the postpartum development of the AD-like neuropathological changes during the life span. Pregnant APPNL-G-F/NL-G-F mice were randomly assigned to either the stress condition or control group. The stress group was exposed to the NS on gestational days 12–16, which resulted in a markedly higher hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis responsivity during the postpartum stage. Higher amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition and larger Aβ plaque size in the olfactory area were the early onset impacts of the gestational stress (GS) seen at the age of 4 months. This pattern of increased Aβ aggregation and larger plaque size were observed in various brain areas involved in both AD and stress regulation, especially in limbic structures, at the age of 6 months. The GS also produced anxiety-like behavior, deficits in learning and memory, and impaired motor coordination. The findings suggest that environmental stresses during pregnancy pose a potential risk factor in accelerating postpartum cognitive decline and AD-like neuropathological changes in the dams (mothers) later in life.


2020 ◽  
Vol 140 (5) ◽  
pp. 791-791
Author(s):  
Charles E. Evans ◽  
James S. Miners ◽  
Giulia Piva ◽  
Christine L. Willis ◽  
David M. Heard ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Masci ◽  
Roberto Mattioli ◽  
Paolo Costantino ◽  
Simona Baima ◽  
Giorgio Morelli ◽  
...  

β-Amyloid peptide (Aβ) aberrant production and aggregation are major factors implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), causing neuronal deathviaoxidative stress. Several studies have highlighted the importance of polyphenolic antioxidant compounds in the treatment of AD, but complex food matrices, characterized by a different relative content of these phytochemicals, have been neglected. In the present study, we analyzed the protective effect on SH-SY5Y cells treated with the fragment Aβ25–35by two crude juices of broccoli sprouts containing different amounts of phenolic compounds as a result of different growth conditions. Both juices protected against Aβ-induced cytotoxicity and apoptotic cell death as evidenced by cell viability, nuclear chromatin condensation, and apoptotic body formation measurements. These effects were mediated by the modulation of the mitochondrial function and of theHSP70gene transcription and expression. Furthermore, the juices upregulated the intracellular glutathione content and mRNA levels or activity of antioxidant enzymes such as heme oxygenase-1, thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase, and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1viaactivation of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Although the effects of the two juices were similar, the juice enriched in phenolic compounds showed a greater efficacy in inducing the activation of the Nrf2 signalling pathway.


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