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Morphological alterations to neurons of the amygdala and impaired fear conditioning in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Knafo Shira,
Venero Cesar,
MerinoSerrais Paula,
FernaudEspinosa Isabel,
GonzalezSoriano Juncal,
Ferrer Isidro,
Santpere Gabriel,
DeFelipe Javier
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.2565
Subject(s) - amygdala , neuroscience , genetically modified mouse , fear conditioning , dendritic spine , transgene , psychology , biology , biochemistry , hippocampal formation , gene
Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) suffer from impaired memory and emotional disturbances, the pathogenesis of which is not entirely clear. In APP/PS1 transgenic mice, a model of AD in which amyloid β (Aβ) accumulates in the brain, we have examined neurons in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA), a brain region crucial to establish cued fear conditioning. We found that although there was no neuronal loss in this region and Aβ plaques only occupy less than 1% of its volume, these mice froze for shorter times after auditory fear conditioning when compared to their non‐transgenic littermates. We performed a three‐dimensional analysis of projection neurons and of thousands of dendritic spines in the LA. We found changes in dendritic tree morphology and a substantial decrease in the frequency of large spines in plaque‐free neurons of APP/PS1 mice. We suggest that these morphological changes in the neurons of the LA may contribute to the impaired auditory fear conditioning seen in this AD model. Copyright © 2009 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.