Limited impact of social isolation on Alzheimer-like symptoms in a triple transgenic mouse model.
Behavioral Neuroscience. 2009-01-01; 123(1): 181-195
DOI: 10.1037/a0013607
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Pietropaolo S(1), Sun Y, Li R, Brana C, Feldon J, Yee BK.
Author information:
(1)Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Zurich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
Gene-environment interactions are known to play a major role in the
ethiopathology of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer’s
disease (AD). The present study investigates whether environmental
manipulations, that is, social isolation, may affect the genetic predisposition
to develop AD-related traits in a triple transgenic mouse model (3 x Tg-AD), as
suggested by our previous study employing physical exercise (Pietropaolo et al.,
2008). Mutant and wild type mice of both sexes were housed singly or in groups
from weaning, and evaluated behaviorally at 6 to 7 months of age. Independent of
sex, the 3 x Tg-AD genotype was associated with enhanced acoustic startle
response, improved performance in the cued version of the water maze and a clear
impairment in the Y maze. Notably, the female (but not male) mutant mice showed
increased anxiety. Although social isolation was effective in modifying several
behaviors, it did not exacerbate any of the AD-like symptoms. Our findings
demonstrated the differential susceptibility of the 3 x Tg-AD mouse line to
environmental manipulations, showing that social isolation did not induce
remarkable effects on the genetically determined AD-like symptoms, in contrast
to what previously observed with physical exercise.
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