scholarly journals Environmental Enrichment: Disentangling the Influence of Novelty, Social, and Physical Activity on Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy in a Transgenic Mouse Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 843
Author(s):  
Lisa S. Robison ◽  
Nikita Francis ◽  
Dominique L. Popescu ◽  
Maria E. Anderson ◽  
Joshua Hatfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Transgenic Mouse ◽  
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Transgenic Mouse Model ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Amyloid Angiopathy ◽  
Cerebral Amyloid

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is the deposition of amyloid protein in the cerebral vasculature, a common feature in both aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the effects of environmental factors, particularly cognitive stimulation, social stimulation, and physical activity, on CAA pathology are poorly understood. These factors, delivered in the form of the environmental enrichment (EE) paradigm in rodents, have been shown to have beneficial effects on the brain and behavior in healthy aging and AD models. However, the relative importance of these subcomponents on CAA pathology has not been investigated. Therefore, we assessed the effects of EE, social enrichment (SOC), and cognitive enrichment (COG) compared to a control group that was single housed without enrichment (SIN) from 4 to 8 months of age in wild-type mice (WT) and Tg-SwDI mice, a transgenic mouse model of CAA that exhibits cognitive/behavioral deficits. The results show that individual facets of enrichment can affect an animal model of CAA, though the SOC and combined EE conditions are generally the most effective at producing physiological, cognitive/behavioral, and neuropathological changes, adding to a growing literature supporting the benefits of lifestyle interventions.

scholarly journals Age-dependent cerebrovascular dysfunction in a transgenic mouse model of cerebral amyloid angiopathy

Brain ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 130 (9) ◽  
pp. 2310-2319 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. K. Shin ◽  
P. B. Jones ◽  
M. Garcia-Alloza ◽  
L. Borrelli ◽  
S. M. Greenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Transgenic Mouse ◽  
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy ◽  
Transgenic Mouse Model ◽  
Amyloid Angiopathy ◽  
Cerebrovascular Dysfunction ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Cerebral Amyloid

Abstract WP397: Longitudinal Sex Differences in Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Maniskas ◽  
Jacob Hudobenko ◽  
Akhiko Urayama ◽  
Louise McCullough ◽  
Bharti Manwani
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Amyloid Plaque ◽  
Amyloid Angiopathy ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
Plaque Deposition ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Cerebral Amyloid

Background: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is the most common cause of lobar intracerebral hemorrhage in the aging population. It is mostly a consequence of amyloid beta40 (Aβ40) deposition within the cerebral blood vessels. A recent study has shown that this amyloid plaque deposition is more prevalent in the brain of elderly women compared to men. The increase in amyloid plaque deposition is linked to increased cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and reduced cognition. The major objective of this study to discern if a sexual dichotomy existed in CMBs and cognition using mouse model of CAA. Methods: We used the Tg-SwDI mouse (“CAA mouse”, harboring Swedish, Dutch, and Iowa mutations of human amyloid precursor protein) model that develops Aβ deposits and cognitive deficits at 3-4 months. Cognitive deficits were analyzed using Fear Conditioning (FC) in pre-symptomatic (3 month) and (12 month) old male and female mice. Briefly, mice were acclimated to the FC chamber for a 2 minute training trial to record baseline. After 1 hour rest, mice were placed back in the chamber for 2 minutes, where they received a 2 millisecond shock (1,000 u/amp). Day 2, activity was recorded for 3 minutes and this measure was compared to baseline to determine Mean Inactive State (MIS-seconds). Mice were euthanized following FC, and brains scanned ex vivo using a MRI T2 Star sequence to assess for CMBs. Results: FC showed a significant difference in MIS (p<0.05) between male (3 and 12 months old) and female (3 months only) mice, n=6/group, suggesting that aged females had significantly lower MIS (Figure 1). MRI showed that aged female mice had more CMBs compared to aged male mice (females, 15.3±7 vs. males 0.25 ±0.2, n= 3/group, p=0.05. Conclusion: In a mouse model of CAA, our results demonstrate that aged females have increased CMBs as compared to males, which may be contributing to decreased cognition as seen on FC. Ongoing studies are designed to further understand the etiology of this sex difference.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document