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Motor activity in young APPswe + PS1/A246E bigenic mice as a predicting variable for memory decline
Mohammed Filali1, Robert Lalonde
1Functional Analysis of Animal Behavior Platform, CHU de Québec Research Center, and Department of Molecular Medicine, Laval University, Québec City, Québec, Canada.
Abstract:
Reports of individuality in rodent species have been a subject of debate in pharmacology and other fields. In the current study, APPswe + PS1/A246E bigenic mice with Alzheimer's-like pathogenesis and wild-type controls were subdivided at 3 months of age into low, intermediate, and high responders in open-field activity. The mice were then evaluated longitudinally at 3 and 9 months for object recognition. Irrespective of genotype, mice with a high level of motor activity had better scores in object recognition. However, a significant correlation was established between open-field activity measured at 3 months of age and recognition memory measured at 9 months of age in the bigenic group only. These results indicate that motor activity in young mice with amyloid neuropathology may serve as a predicting variable for cognitive dysfunction in more mature mice.
Insights
Motor activity levels in young Alzheimer
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology
- Alzheimer's Disease Research
- Animal Models of Neurological Disorders
Background:
- Individuality in rodent behavior is a debated topic in pharmacology.
- Alzheimer's disease is characterized by cognitive decline and neuropathology.
- Rodent models are crucial for studying Alzheimer's pathogenesis and potential biomarkers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between motor activity and cognitive function in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
- To determine if early-life motor activity can predict later cognitive performance in mice with amyloid neuropathology.
- To explore individual differences in behavioral responses within genetically modified and wild-type mice.
Main Methods:
- APPswe + PS1/A246E bigenic mice and wild-type controls were used.
- Mice were categorized by open-field activity levels (low, intermediate, high) at 3 months of age.
- Longitudinal assessment of object recognition memory was performed at 3 and 9 months.
Main Results:
- Higher motor activity correlated with better object recognition scores across all mice, irrespective of genotype.
- A significant correlation between 3-month open-field activity and 9-month recognition memory was found exclusively in bigenic mice.
- This suggests that motor activity is a significant predictor of cognitive decline in this Alzheimer's model.
Conclusions:
- Early motor activity in young mice with Alzheimer's-like pathology may predict future cognitive deficits.
- Motor activity can serve as a potential predictive biomarker for cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease models.
- Understanding individual behavioral variability is important for pharmacological and neurological research.
