title: Neurofibrillary tangles and plaques are not accompanied by white matter pathology in aged triple transgenic-Alzheimer disease mice.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is the most common cause of dementia in aging populations. Although senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are well-established hallmarks of AD, changes in cerebral white matter correlate with cognitive decline and may increase the risk of the development of dementia. We used the triple transgenic (3xTg)-AD mouse model of AD, previously used to show that white matter changes precede plaque formation, to test the hypothesis that MRI detectable changes occur in the corpus callosum, external capsule and the fornix. T2-weighted and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging and histological stains were employed to assess white matter in older (11-17months) 3xTg-AD mice and controls. We found no statistically significant changes in white matter between 3xTg-AD mice and controls, despite well-developed neurofibrillary tangles and beta amyloid immunoreactive plaques. Myelin staining was normal in affected mice. These data suggest that the 3xTg-AD mouse model does not develop MRI detectable white matter changes at the ages we examined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9, Canada. Electronic address: marzena_kastyak@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Marzena Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Kastyak-Ibrahim
authors.forename: Domenico L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Di Curzio
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buist
authors.forename: Sheryl L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: Benedict C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Albensi
authors.forename: Marc R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Del Bigio
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009154:Mutation; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000473:pathology*; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides
keywords: 3xTg-AD; Alzheimer's disease; Diffusion tensor imaging; Magnetic resonance imaging; Mouse; White matter