Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disease characterized by loss of memory and other important mental functions. Accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and fibrillary tangles are the main pathological hallmarks of this disease. Emerging data suggest that the disease process begins years before clinical diagnostic confirmation; thus, methods to improve early detection would provide opportunities for early intervention to delay progressive cognitive decline and disease onset. In our research we assessed the cognitive abilities of APPNL-G-F/NL-G-F knock-in (APP-KI) mice with a touch screen-based automated test battery and water maze test. These tests are mainly dependent on the brain regions that are prone to Aβ accumulation at the earliest stages of the disease. We subjected male 6- and 11-months old APP-KI mice in water maze test where only older mice showed significantly worsened behavior than wild-type mice. However, using touchscreen based behavioral test it was possible to detect cognitive impairment in APP-KI mice at an early (4 months) stage while classical behavioral tests shows comparable results between wild-type and disease model mice.

To: 要旨(抄録)