Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026
03:26
Author Spotlight: Improving Anesthesia Protocols for Enhanced Mouse Acupuncture Research
Published on: December 8, 2023
1.9K
Specific deletion connexin43 in astrocyte ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in APP/PS1 mice
Runan Ren1, Li Zhang1, Min Wang1
1Department of Neurology, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong 252000, People's Republic of China.
Life Sciences
|July 22, 2018
Summary
Deleting connexin43 (Cx43) in astrocytes improved cognitive function in an Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse model. This reduction in astroglial Cx43 decreased astrogliosis and enhanced synaptic function without impacting amyloid plaques or inflammation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Emerging data suggest connexin43 (Cx43) influences cognitive function.
- Direct evidence linking astroglial Cx43 to Alzheimer's disease (AD) cognitive dysfunction is lacking.
- Cx43 expression is progressively upregulated in AD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of astroglial Cx43 in AD cognitive dysfunction.
- To evaluate the impact of astroglial Cx43 deletion on AD pathology and cognitive function.
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of Cx43's influence on AD.
Main Methods:
- Generated an AD mouse model with astroglial Cx43 knockout (KO) by crossing Gfap-Cx43 KO mice with APP/PS1 mice.
- Assessed cognitive function in 12-month-old APP/PS1/Gfap-Cx43 KO mice.
- Evaluated amyloid plaque formation, astrogliosis, synaptic function, and inflammatory markers.
Main Results:
- Deletion of astroglial Cx43 significantly ameliorated cognitive dysfunction in APP/PS1 mice.
- Amyloid plaque formation and area remained unaltered.
- GFAP expression decreased, while synaptic number markedly increased, indicating reduced astrogliosis and enhanced synaptic function.
- Cx43 regulation targets NMDAR (N-methyl-d-aspartate) at postsynaptic elements.
- Re-expression of Cx43 reversed the protective effects.
Conclusions:
- Specific deletion of astroglial Cx43 improves cognitive function in an AD mouse model.
- The cognitive benefits are achieved by decreasing astrogliosis and increasing synaptic function.
- Amyloid plaque formation and the inflammatory response are not affected by astroglial Cx43 deletion.
Related Concept Videos
01:38Cognitive Dissonance
37.5K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
37.5K
01:23Cognition and Behavior
383
Social psychology examines the complex interplay between individual mental processes and social interactions. Historically, the field was divided into two domains: social behavior and social cognition. Researchers focusing on social behavior analyzed actions within social contexts, such as conformity, aggression, or cooperation. Meanwhile, social cognition researchers investigated how people perceive, interpret, and mentally represent their social environments. However, modern perspectives no...
383
01:21Cognitive Learning
1.2K
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
1.2K
01:27Language and Cognition
804
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
804
01:25Cognitive Therapy
1.1K
Cognitive therapy, pioneered by Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, is a structured approach to addressing psychological distress by focusing on the influence of thoughts on emotions and behaviors. All cognitive therapies involve the basic assumption that human beings have control over their feelings, and that how individuals feel about something depends on how they think about it. Unlike psychoanalytic methods that delve into unconscious processes or humanistic approaches emphasizing...
1.1K
01:20Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
2.4K
Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
2.4K