title: Decreased acetylcholine release is correlated to memory impairment in the Tg2576 transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Acetylcholine (ACh) release is one of the key factors in memory mechanisms. To clarify whether beta-amyloid (Abeta) induces a disturbance of the cholinergic system leading to memory impairment, we examined memory impairment and measured hippocampal ACh release in Tg2576 (Tg) mice that over-express the Swedish mutant amyloid precursor protein (APPsw). Furthermore, we examined Abeta burden with aging. Tg mice aged 9-11 months, but not aged 4-6 months, showed memory impairment in the 8-arm radial maze behavior test. Spontaneous ACh release was not altered in Tg mice compared with age-matched control mice at 4-6 or 9-11 months of age. On the other hand, high-K(+)-evoked ACh release was decreased in Tg mice aged 9-11 months, but not in Tg mice aged 4-6 months. Hippocampal Abeta increased in an age-dependent manner, but evident amyloid plaques were not found in the hippocampus of Tg mice aged 11 months. These results suggest that memory impairment in Tg mice could be attributed to cholinergic synapse dysfunction that could not be caused predominantly by amyloid plaques. Measuring ACh release in this model might be a useful index for the screening of new drugs to treat the early-phase of Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Norito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamagata
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takasaki
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Kazuhide
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Shutaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Katsurabayashi
authors.forename: Nobuaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Egashira
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mishima
authors.forename: Katsunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Michihiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018782:Maze Learning; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000502:physiology; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C078592:amyloid beta-protein (1-40); C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42); D000109:Acetylcholine; D011188:Potassium