کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
5923996 | 1571178 | 2015 | 6 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
- Spatial learning and motor coordination of ApoEâ/â Fbn1C1039GÂ +/â mice were studied.
- An increase in track width (gait analysis) revealed a disturbed balance.
- Pyknotic neurons in the parietal cortex confirmed hypoxic brain damage.
- Percentage of pyknosis and track width were correlated.
- Gait analysis is a sensitive tool to assess cerebral hypoxia in this model.
Apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoEâ/â) mice with a heterozygous mutation in the fibrillin-1 gene (Fbn1C1039G +/â) show spontaneous atherosclerotic plaque ruptures, disturbances in cerebral flow and sudden death when fed a Western-type diet (WD). The present study focused on motor coordination and spatial learning of ApoEâ/â Fbn1C1039G +/â mice on WD for 20 weeks (n = 21). ApoEâ/â mice on WD (n = 24) and ApoEâ/â Fbn1C1039G +/â mice on normal diet (ND, n = 21) served as controls. Starting from 10 weeks of diet, coordination was assessed every two weeks by the following tests: gait analysis, stationary beam, wire suspension and accelerating rotarod. The Morris water maze test was performed after 13 weeks of diet to study spatial learning. At the end of the experiment (20 weeks of WD), the mice were sacrificed and the brachiocephalic artery and brain were isolated. From 12 weeks onward, gait analysis of ApoEâ/â Fbn1C1039G +/â mice on WD revealed a progressive increase in track width as compared to ApoEâ/â mice on WD and ApoEâ/â Fbn1C1039G +/â mice on ND (at 20 weeks: 29.8 ± 0.6 mm vs. 25.8 ± 0.4 mm and 26.0 ± 0.5 mm). Moreover, the stationary beam test showed a decrease in motor coordination of ApoEâ/â Fbn1C1039G +/â mice on WD at 18 and 20 weeks. The wire suspension test and accelerating rotarod could not detect signs of motor impairment. Spatial learning was also not affected. Histological analysis of the brachiocephalic artery showed larger and more stenotic plaques in ApoEâ/â Fbn1C1039G +/â mice on WD. Furthermore, the parietal cortex of ApoEâ/â Fbn1C1039G +/â mice on WD showed pyknotic nuclei as a sign of hypoxia and the percentage of pyknosis correlated with track width. In conclusion, gait analysis may be an efficient method for analyzing hypoxic brain damage in the ApoEâ/â Fbn1C1039G +/â mouse model. This test could be of value to assess the effect of potential anti-atherosclerotic therapies in mice.
Journal: Physiology & Behavior - Volume 139, February 2015, Pages 397-402