Increase in Alzheimer's related markers preceeds memory disturbances: studies in vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rat.

Increase in Alzheimer's related markers preceeds memory disturbances: studies in vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rat. Brain Res Bull. 2013 Oct 28; Authors: Varga J, Klausz B, Domokos A, Kálmán S, Pákáski M, Szűcs S, Garab D, Zvara A, Puskás L, Kálmán J, Tímár J, Bagdy G, Zelena D Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. For more effective therapy early diagnostic markers could be beneficial. Therefore we compared one year old rats with adults and examined if changes in possible brain markers of AD preceeded memory decline. We also tested if vasopressin-deficient animals were useful model of AD as vasopressin has well known positive effect on memory and AD patient has decreased vasopressin production. We compared adult (3 month) and old (12 month), normal and vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rats. To receive a comprehensive picture about their memory we examined their social discrimination, object discrimination and conditioned learning abilities (shuttle box). Amyloid precursor protein (APP), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), β-actin and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (TDO2) mRNA levels was measured by quantitative PCR. There was no difference between the memory of adult and aged groups. The vasopressin-deficient rats at both ages showed a weaker performance in the course of social and object discrimination tests and a higher escape failure during the shuttle box experiment. Th...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: research