Abstract
More than a third of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients show nigrostriatal pathway disturbances, resulting in akinesia (inability to initiate movement) and bradykinesia (slowness of movement). The high prevalence of this dysfunction of dopaminergic neuron in the nigrostriatal pathway in AD suggests that the risk factors for AD appear also significant risk factors for substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) lesions. Previously, we have demonstrated that allopregnanolone (AP?) promotes neurogenesis and improves the cognitive function in a triple transgenic mouse model of AD (3xTgAD). In this study, we sought to exam 1) the SNpc lesions in 3xTgAD mice and 2) the impact of APα on promoting the regeneration of new dopaminergic neurons in SNpc of the 3xTgAD mice. The number of Nissl-stained total neurons, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive neurons, and BrdU/TH double positive newly formed neurons were analyzed with unbiased stereology. In the SNpc of 3xTgAD mice, TH positive neurons was 47 ± 18 % (p = 0.007), total neurons was 62 ± 11.6 % (p = 0.016), of those in the SNpc of non-Tg mice, respectively. APα treatment increased the TH positive neurons in the SNpc of 3xTgAD mice to 93.2 ± 18.5 (p = 0.021 vs. 3xTgAD vehicle) and the total neurons to 84.9 ± 6.6 (p = 0.046 vs. 3xTgAD vehicle) of non-Tg mice. These findings indicate that there is a loss of neurons, specifically the TH positive neurons in SNpc of 3xTgAD mice, and that APα reverses the lesion in SNpc of 3xTgAD by increasing the formation of new TH neurons.
Keywords: Allopregnanolone, neurogenesis, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), substantia nigra, dopaminergic neurons, catecholamines
Current Alzheimer Research
Title:Allopregnanolone Increases the Number of Dopaminergic Neurons in Substantia Nigra of a Triple Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Volume: 9 Issue: 4
Author(s): Chenyou Sun, Xiaoming Ou, Jerry M. Farley, Craig Stockmeier, Steven Bigler, Roberta Diaz Brinton, Jun Ming Wang
Affiliation:
Keywords: Allopregnanolone, neurogenesis, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), substantia nigra, dopaminergic neurons, catecholamines
Abstract: More than a third of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients show nigrostriatal pathway disturbances, resulting in akinesia (inability to initiate movement) and bradykinesia (slowness of movement). The high prevalence of this dysfunction of dopaminergic neuron in the nigrostriatal pathway in AD suggests that the risk factors for AD appear also significant risk factors for substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) lesions. Previously, we have demonstrated that allopregnanolone (AP?) promotes neurogenesis and improves the cognitive function in a triple transgenic mouse model of AD (3xTgAD). In this study, we sought to exam 1) the SNpc lesions in 3xTgAD mice and 2) the impact of APα on promoting the regeneration of new dopaminergic neurons in SNpc of the 3xTgAD mice. The number of Nissl-stained total neurons, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive neurons, and BrdU/TH double positive newly formed neurons were analyzed with unbiased stereology. In the SNpc of 3xTgAD mice, TH positive neurons was 47 ± 18 % (p = 0.007), total neurons was 62 ± 11.6 % (p = 0.016), of those in the SNpc of non-Tg mice, respectively. APα treatment increased the TH positive neurons in the SNpc of 3xTgAD mice to 93.2 ± 18.5 (p = 0.021 vs. 3xTgAD vehicle) and the total neurons to 84.9 ± 6.6 (p = 0.046 vs. 3xTgAD vehicle) of non-Tg mice. These findings indicate that there is a loss of neurons, specifically the TH positive neurons in SNpc of 3xTgAD mice, and that APα reverses the lesion in SNpc of 3xTgAD by increasing the formation of new TH neurons.
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Chenyou Sun, Xiaoming Ou, Jerry M. Farley, Craig Stockmeier, Steven Bigler, Roberta Diaz Brinton, Jun Ming Wang , Allopregnanolone Increases the Number of Dopaminergic Neurons in Substantia Nigra of a Triple Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease, Current Alzheimer Research 2012; 9 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720512800492567
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720512800492567 |
Print ISSN 1567-2050 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5828 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
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Aims and Scope: Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant global health challenge, with an increasing prevalence that demands concerted efforts to advance our understanding and strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. This thematic issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research and innovative approaches from multidisciplinary perspectives to address ...read more
Current updates on the Role of Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disorders
Neuroinflammation is an invariable hallmark of chronic and acute neurodegenerative disorders and has long been considered a potential drug target for Alzheimer?s disease (AD) and dementia. Significant evidence of inflammatory processes as a feature of AD is provided by the presence of inflammatory markers in plasma, CSF and postmortem brain ...read more
Deep Learning for Advancing Alzheimer's Disease Research
Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant global health challenge, with an increasing number of individuals affected yearly. Deep learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence, has shown immense potential in various domains, including healthcare. This thematic issue of Current Alzheimer Research explores the application of deep learning techniques in advancing our ...read more
Diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of dementia
Dementia affects 18 million people worldwide. Dementia is a syndrome of symptoms caused by brain disease, usually chronic or progressive, clinically characterized by multiple impairments of higher cortical functions such as memory, thinking, orientation, and learning. In addition, in the course of dementia, cognitive deficits are observed, which often hinder ...read more
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