Learning in year-old female autoimmune BXSB mice

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Animal Models of Disease

Background:

• BXSB/MpJ-Yaa and NZB/BINJ mice model developmental learning disabilities and autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
• These mice exhibit cortical neuron ectopias, similar to human dyslexia, and varying degrees of autoimmune conditions.
• Previous studies focused on younger BXSB females before significant autoimmune disease onset.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the learning behavior of older BXSB female mice after the onset of autoimmune disease.
• To determine if systemic autoimmune disease impacts learning and memory in this model.
• To explore the interaction between cortical ectopias, autoimmune disease, and behavioral laterality.

Main Methods:

• Assessment of learning behavior in year-old BXSB female mice, post-autoimmune disease onset.
• Utilized Lashley maze learning and visual discrimination tasks.
• Analyzed interactions between paw preference (laterality) and the presence of cortical ectopias.

Main Results:

• Year-old BXSB females demonstrated proficient learning in both Lashley maze and visual discrimination tasks.
• Learning performance was largely unaffected by the presence of systemic autoimmune disease.
• A significant interaction was observed: ectopias combined with right paw preference led to increased errors in maze learning.

Conclusions:

• Systemic autoimmune disease in BXSB mice does not inherently impair learning capabilities.
• Cortical ectopias may influence behavior, with effects modulated by an animal's lateral preference.
• Findings suggest that behavioral consequences of ectopias are context-dependent, involving laterality.