title: Detecting spatial memory deficits beyond blindness in tg2576 Alzheimer mice.
abstract: The retinal degeneration Pde6b(rd1) (rd) mutation can be a major pitfall in behavioral studies using tg2576 mice bred on a B6:SJL genetic background, 1 of the most widely used models of Alzheimer's disease. After a pilot study in wild type mice, performance of 8- and 16-month-old tg2576 mice were assessed in several behavioral tasks with the challenge of selecting 1 or more task(s) showing robust memory deficits on this genetic background. Water maze acquisition was impossible in rd homozygotes, whereas Y-maze alternation, object recognition, and olfactory discrimination were unaffected by both the transgene and the rd mutation. Spatial memory retention of 8- and 16-month-old tg2576 mice, however, was dramatically affected independently of the rd mutation when mice had to recognize a spatial configuration of objects or to perform the Barnes maze. Thus, the latter tasks appear extremely useful to evaluate spatial memory deficits and to test cognitive therapies in tg2576 mice and other mouse models bred on a background susceptible to visual impairment.
authors: Laboratoire d'Imagerie et de Neurosciences Cognitives, UMR 7237 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, IFR 37, GDR CNRS 2905, Strasbourg, France.
authors: Nour
authors: N
authors: Yassine
authors: Anelise
authors: A
authors: Lazaris
authors: Cornelia
authors: C
authors: Dorner-Ciossek
authors: Olivier
authors: O
authors: Després
authors: Laurence
authors: L
authors: Meyer
authors: Michel
authors: M
authors: Maitre
authors: Ayikoe Guy
authors: AG
authors: Mensah-Nyagan
authors: Jean-Christophe
authors: JC
authors: Cassel
authors: Chantal
authors: C
authors: Mathis
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001766:Blindness / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics; D054707:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 6 / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018782:Maze Learning; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010865:Pilot Projects; D021641:Recognition, Psychology
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D054707:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 6; C517438:Pde6b protein, mouse