Behavioural Phenotyping of APPswe/PS1δE9 Mice: Age-Rrelated Changes and Effect of Long-Term Paroxetine Treatment

PLoS One. 2016 Nov 4;11(11):e0165144. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165144. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating illness characterized by a progressive loss of cognitive, social, and emotional functions, including memory impairments and more global cognitive deficits. Clinical-epidemiological evidence suggests that neuropsychiatric symptoms precede the onset of cognitive symptoms both in humans with early and late onset AD. The behavioural profile promoted by the AD pathology is believed to associate with degeneration of the serotonergic system. Using the APPswe/PS1δE9 model of AD-like pathology starting with 9 months old mice, we characterised long term non-cognitive behavioural changes measured at 9, 12, 15, and 18 months of age and applied principal component analysis on data obtained from open field, elevated plus maze, and social interaction tests. Long-term treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine was applied to assess the role of 5-HT on the behavioural profile; duration of treatment was 9 months, initiated when mice were 9 months of age. Treatment with paroxetine delays the decline in locomotion, in exploration and risk assessment behaviour, found in the APP/PS1 mice. APP/PS1 mice also exhibit low social activity and less aggressiveness, both of which are not affected by treatment with paroxetine. The APP/PS1 behavioural phenotype, demonstrated in this study, only begins to manifest itself from 12 months of age. Our results indicate that treatment with SSRI might ameliorate some of the behavioural deficits found in aged APP/PS1 mice.

MeSH terms

  • Aging / drug effects*
  • Aging / metabolism*
  • Alzheimer Disease / drug therapy*
  • Alzheimer Disease / metabolism
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / metabolism*
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Cognition Disorders / drug therapy
  • Cognition Disorders / metabolism
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Male
  • Maze Learning / drug effects
  • Memory Disorders / drug therapy
  • Memory Disorders / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Paroxetine / administration & dosage*
  • Presenilin-1 / metabolism*
  • Social Behavior

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor
  • Presenilin-1
  • Paroxetine

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Danish Medical Research Foundation (BF OW) and the Lundbeck Foundation (BF OW). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.