Alzheimer's disease: an evaluation of memory and neuropathology in the TgCRND8 transgenic mouse model

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurologically debilitating disease that is plaguing our elderly population. Transgenic mice with Alzheimer’s disease mutations are used to study signal pathways, potential drug targets and mechanism of disease. However, studies of the effects of different AD mutations on behavior and neuropathological progression in mice have been inconsistent when comparing different genetic backgrounds. The aim of this study was to compare two commonly used TgCRND8 backgrounds, the 129SvEvtac/C57F1 and C3H/C57F1 strains, for memory function in the Morris water maze (MWM), and to determine differences in plaque burden. We found deficits in multiple parameters of the MWM in the 129SvEvtac/C57F1 strain. Similarly, this background strain showed significantly more amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque burden than the C3H/C57F1 strain. This supports the hypothesis that strain specific differences are apparent in spatial memory testing and neuropathologic progression of AD. It leads us to believe that epigenetics are key to understanding AD risk assessment and development.