Learning deficits in adult Mitochondria Carrier Homolog 2 forebrain knockout mouse

Publication date: Available online 26 October 2018Source: NeuroscienceAuthor(s): Etay Aloni, Antonella Ruggiero, Atan Gross, Menahem SegalAbstractMitochondrial Carrier Homolog 2 (MTCH2) acts as a receptor for the BH3 interacting-domain death agonist (BID) in the mitochondrial outer membrane. Loss of MTCH2 affects mitochondria energy metabolism and function. MTCH2 forebrain conditional KO (MTCH2 BKO) display a deficit in hippocampus-dependent cognitive functions. Here we study age-related MTCH2 BKO behavioural and electrophysiological aspects of hippocampal functions. MTCH2 BKO exhibit impaired spatial but not motor learning and an impairment in long term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal slices. Moreover, MTCH2 BKO express an increase in activated microglia, in addition to a reduction in neuron density in the hippocampus, but do not express amyloid-β plaques or neurofibrillary tangles. These results highlight the role of mitochondria in the normal hippocampal dependent memory formation.
Source: Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research