Ablating ErbB4 in PV neurons attenuates synaptic and cognitive deficits in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease

- Aβ interacts with ErbB4 and increases its phosphorylation.
- Deleting ErbB4 in PV neurons attenuates Aβ-induced LTP suppression.
- Deleting ErbB4 in PV neurons improves spatial memory in AD mice.
- The effects of ErbB4 ablation were not caused by changing APP or Aβ levels.

Accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) induces neuronal, synaptic, and cognitive deficits in patients and animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The underlying mechanisms, however, remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study, we found that Aβ interacted with ErbB4, a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family and mainly expressed in GABAergic interneurons. Deleting ErbB4 in parvalbumin-expressing neurons (PV neurons) significantly attenuated oligomeric Aβ-induced suppression of long term potentiation (LTP). Furthermore, specific ablation of ErbB4 in PV neurons via Cre/loxP system greatly improved spatial memory and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of hAPP-J20 mice. The deposition of Aβ detected by 3D6 and Thioflavin S staining and the proteolytic processing of hAPP analyzed by western blotting were not affected in the hippocampus of hAPP-J20 mice by deleting ErbB4 in PV neurons. Our data suggested that ErbB4 in PV neurons mediated Aβ-induced synaptic and cognitive dysfunctions without affecting Aβ levels.