Related Experiment Video For Alzheimer's disease
Updated: Jul 31, 2025
Author Spotlight: An Innovative Approach to Neural Electrical Stimulation Using Calcium Imaging
Published on: August 18, 2023
Calcium sensor Yellow Cameleon 3.6 as a tool to support the calcium hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease
Morgan R Miller1, Yee Fun Lee1,2, Ksenia V Kastanenka1
1Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
Introduction:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with increasing relevance as dementia cases rise. The etiology of AD is widely debated. The Calcium Hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease and brain aging states that the dysfunction of calcium signaling is the final common pathway leading to neurodegeneration. When the Calcium Hypothesis was originally coined, the technology did not exist to test it, but with the advent of Yellow Cameleon 3.6 (YC3.6) we are able to test its validity.
Methods:
Here we review use of YC3.6 in studying Alzheimer's disease using mouse models and discuss whether these studies support or refute the Calcium Hypothesis.
Results:
YC3.6 studies showed that amyloidosis preceded dysfunction in neuronal calcium signaling and changes in synapse structure. This evidence supports the Calcium Hypothesis.
Discussion:
In vivo YC3.6 studies point to calcium signaling as a promising therapeutic target; however, additional work is necessary to translate these findings to humans.
