Animal Models of Down Syndrome and Other Genetic Diseases Associated with Mental Retardation
Merlin G. Butler, F. John Meaney in Genetics of Developmental Disabilities, 2019
Muscatelli et al. (162) produced mice deficient for necdin (Ndn), a gene expressed in postmitotic neurons that possibly plays a role in cell cycle arrest in terminally differentiated neurons. Viable Ndn mutans showed a reduction in both oxytocin-producing and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH)-producing neurons in hypothalamus representing the first evidence of a hypothalamic deficiency in a mouse model of PWS. Although behavioral responses related to motor co-ordination, exploratory activity, anxiety and stress appear unaffected, the mice demonstrated skin scraping activity in the open field test, reminiscent of the skin picking behavior described in PWS patients (162). One of the characteristic strengths of the PWS phenotype is enhanced visual-spatial integration and visual memory, behavioral responses measured by the Morris water maze test. Not surprisingly, Ndn-deficient mice demonstrated improved performance in the Morris water maze suggesting that necdin deficiency may improve cognitive function through changes in neuropeptide levels and/or neurotransmitter activity (162).
Role of Vitamin D and Antioxidant Functional Foods in the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology
Abhai Kumar, Debasis Bagchi in Antioxidants and Functional Foods for Neurodegenerative Disorders, 2021
There are numerous reports highlighting that dietary supplements of plant and fruit origin such as figs may impact the development of AD. Supplementation given to AD transgenic mice models, APPsw/Tg2576, caused a significant reduction in Aβ peptide levels, the main component of Aβ plaques in both the hippocampus and cortex. ATP levels were also increased with dietary supplementation, suggesting an improvement of cerebral energy production in this model of AD (Essa et al., 2015). Diets rich in figs and fig-leaf extracts potentially affect AChE activity and may have a meaningful impact on disease manifestation. They significantly attenuate oxidative damage with decreased lipid peroxidation, decrease plasma levels of Aβ, and increase antioxidant enzyme activity in both the cortex and hippocampus. After 15 months of administration of a 4% fig diet, improved learning and memory in APPsw/Tg 2576 transgenic mice was observed in cognitive assessment using the Morris water maze test (Subash et al., 2014) (Figure 12.3).
Fenugreek in Management of Neurological and Psychological Disorders
Dilip Ghosh, Prasad Thakurdesai in Fenugreek, 2022
DG has been reported to improve the cognitive deficit in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection-induced dementia mode (in vitro) in human neuronal cultures with E4 allele of Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) (Turchan-Cholewo et al. 2006). The HIV-infected individuals with the E4 allele of Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) or a history of intravenous drug abuse are known to be at risk of developing dementia and peripheral neuropathy (Corder et al. 1998). In vitro studies showed that HIV proteins such as Tat and gp120, Tat + morphine produced increased neurotoxicity in human neuronal cultures with ApoE4 allele with differential alteration of transcripts involved in energy metabolism in cultures of ApoE3 and 4 neurons. DG showed marked neuroprotection against the Tat + morphine-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress and impaired morphine metabolism (Turchan-Cholewo et al. 2006). Furthermore, the neuroprotective and memory-enhancing efficacy of DG-rich yam was reported in senescent mice induced by D-galactose (D-gal). DG-rich yam and increased learning and memory abilities of the mice in the Morris water maze test reduced the oxidative stress in the brains of D-gal treated mice (Chiu et al. 2009). These results are further confirmed during a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover clinical study in healthy adults (Tohda et al. 2017).
Resveratrol prevents high-calorie diet-induced learning and memory dysfunction in juvenile C57BL/6J mice
Published in Neurological Research, 2018
Bao-Lei Xu, Hui Zhang, Li-Na Ma, Wen Dong, Zhi-Wei Zhao, Jing-Shuang Zhang, Yu-Lan Wang, Xu Zhang, Rong Wang
The Morris water maze test is a behavioral procedure that is widely used to assess spatial learning and memory abilities in rodents [9]. Here, the Morris water maze (apparatus provided by the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China) consisted of a cylindrical tub (diameter of 120 cm; depth of 50 cm) filled with water rendered opaque by the addition of milk powder (24°C ± 1°C), 20 cm below the rim. The pool was divided into four quadrants: northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. A platform was submerged 2.0 cm below the water surface in the center of the northeast quadrant. During a training trial prior to testing, the mice were physically placed onto the platform and allowed to stay there for 30 s. On days 1 to 5, the mice were placed in the southwest quadrant and given 60 s to locate the hidden platform. If the subject failed to find the platform in the allotted time, it was guided to the platform and given a score of 60 s. The escape latency (s) and the swimming distance (mm) were recorded.
Down-regulation of miR-204-5p ameliorates sevoflurane-induced brain injury in neonatal rats through targeting VCAM1
Published in Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, 2023
Lingang Wang, Hui Zhang, Chenyao Xie
The Morris water maze test is a classical method for the evaluation of spatial memory and learning function of rodents (D’Hooge and De Deyn 2001). The longer the escape latency, the poorer the ability to obtain spatial information; and the more times the original platform is traversed, the better the memory storage and reproducibility of the obtained spatial information (Lissner et al. 2021). Our study found that compared to normal rats, the long-term memory function of the Sev + miR-NC + si-NC group was lower and manifested as an increase in escape latency and swimming distance, and a decrease in times of crossings. Further miR-204-5p knock-down in rats with sevoflurane-induced cognitive dysfunction, caused learning and memory function of the rats to recover, but this improvement trend could be reversed by knockdown of VCAM1.
Sitagliptin rescues memory deficits in Parkinsonian rats via upregulating BDNF to prevent neuron and dendritic spine loss
Published in Neurological Research, 2018
Jing Li, Shuhu Zhang, Chenye Li, Mei Li, Lan Ma
The morris water maze test is used to check spatial learning and memory functions of the animals [18]. In brief, a black pool filled with water (23 ± 2°C) was divided into four quadrants, and a platform was made of transparent Plexiglas and was submerged 1.5 cm below the water surface. The platform was located in a constant quadrant (target quadrant), equidistant from the center and the wall of the pool. If an animal did not arrive to the platform during a period of 60 s, it was slowly guided to the platform. The rats were allowed to remain on platform for 30 s after reaching the aim place. Then, they were placed at the next starting point in the pool. This procedure was repeated five trials a day to evaluate the cognitive functions in MWM and for five consecutive days. On the sixth day, the platform was removed from the pool and the rats were allowed to swim for 60 s. The time spent in the target quadrant for each mouse was recorded using a video tracking system (Smart).
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