title: Effects of Aβ exposure on long-term associative memory and its neuronal mechanisms in a defined neuronal network.
abstract: Amyloid beta (Aβ) induced neuronal death has been linked to memory loss, perhaps the most devastating symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although Aβ-induced impairment of synaptic or intrinsic plasticity is known to occur before any cell death, the links between these neurophysiological changes and the loss of specific types of behavioral memory are not fully understood. Here we used a behaviorally and physiologically tractable animal model to investigate Aβ-induced memory loss and electrophysiological changes in the absence of neuronal death in a defined network underlying associative memory. We found similar behavioral but different neurophysiological effects for Aβ 25-35 and Aβ 1-42 in the feeding circuitry of the snail Lymnaea stagnalis. Importantly, we also established that both the behavioral and neuronal effects were dependent upon the animals having been classically conditioned prior to treatment, since Aβ application before training caused neither memory impairment nor underlying neuronal changes over a comparable period of time following treatment.
authors.affiliation: Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG.
authors.forename: Lenzie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.affiliation: Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crossley
authors.affiliation: Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG.
authors.forename: Julian R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Thorpe
authors.affiliation: Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG.
authors.forename: Louise C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Serpell
authors.affiliation: Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG.
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kemenes
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000378:metabolism; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000378:metabolism; D057567:Memory, Long-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D066263:Protein Aggregation, Pathological; D012908:Snails; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides