Neuropathologically distinct prion strains give rise to similar temporal profiles of behavioral deficits

Mouse-adapted scrapie strains have been characterized by vacuolation profiles and incubation times, but the behavioral consequences have not been well studied. Here, we compared behavioral impairments produced by ME7, 79A, 22L, and 22A strains in C57BL/6J mice. We show that early impairments on burrowing, glucose consumption, nesting and open field activity, and late stage motor impairments show a very similar temporal sequence in ME7, 79A, and 22L. The long incubation time of the 22A strain produces much later impairments. However, the strains show clear late stage neuropathological differences. All strains showed clear microglial activation and synaptic loss in the hippocampus, but only ME7 and 79A showed significant CA1 neuronal death. Conversely, 22L and 22A showed significant cerebellar Purkinje neuron loss. All strains showed marked thalamic neuronal loss. These behavioral similarities coupled with clear pathological differences could serve to identify key circuits whose early dysfunction underlies the neurological effects of different prion strains.