Inability to form new memories is an early clinical sign of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is ample evidence that the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide plays a key role in the pathogenesis of this disorder. Soluble, bio-derived oligomers of Aβ are proposed as the key mediators of synaptic and cognitive dysfunction, but more tractable models of Aβ−mediated cognitive impairment are needed. Here we report that, in mice, acute intracerebroventricular injections of synthetic Aβ 1-42 oligomers impaired consolidation of the long-term recognition memory, whereas mature Aβ 1-42 fibrils and freshly dissolved peptide did not. The deficit induced by oligomers was reversible and was prevented by an anti-Aβ antibody. It has been suggested that the cellular prion protein (PrP C ) mediates the impairment of synaptic plasticity induced by Aβ. We confirmed that Aβ 1-42 oligomers interact with PrP C , with nanomolar affinity. However, PrP-expressing and PrP knock-out mice were equally susceptible to this impairment. These data suggest that Aβ 1-42 oligomers are responsible for cognitive impairment in AD and that PrP C is not required.Alzheimer | neurotoxicity | object recognition test | surface plasmon resonance | protein aggregation

Background: The cellular prion protein (PrPC) could be a toxicity-transducing receptor for amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers.Results: N1, a naturally occurring fragment of PrPC, binds Aβ oligomers, inhibits their polymerization into fibrils, and suppresses their neurotoxic effects in vitro and in vivo.Conclusion: N1 binds tightly to Aβ oligomers and blocks their neurotoxicity.Significance: Administration of exogenous N1 or related peptides may represent an effective therapy for Alzheimer disease.

Serotonin (5-HT) receptors are increasingly recognized as major targets for cognitive enhancement in schizophrenia. Several lines of evidence suggest a pathophysiological role for glutamate NMDA receptors in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia and associated disorders in attention and executive functioning. We investigated how the interactions between 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2A and glutamate NMDA receptor mechanisms in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) contribute to the control of different aspects of attentional performance. Rats were trained on a five-choice serial reaction time (5-CSRT) task, which provides indices of attentional functioning (percentage of correct responses), executive control (measured by anticipatory and perseverative responses), and speed. The competitive NMDA receptor antagonist CPP (50 ng/side) was infused directly into the mPFC 5 min after infusion of either 8-OH-DPAT (30 and 100 ng/side) or M100907 (100 and 300 ng/side) into the same brain area. Impairments in attentional functioning induced by CPP were completely abolished by both doses of 8-OH-DPAT or M100907. In addition, M100907 abolished the CPP-induced anticipatory responding but had no effects on perseverative over-responding, while 8-OH-DPAT reduced the perseverative over-responding but had no effects on anticipatory responding induced by CPP. The selective 5-HT 1A receptor antagonist WAY100635 (30 ng/side) antagonized the effects of 8-OH-DPAT (100 ng/side). 8-OH-DPAT at 30 ng/side reduced the latency of correct responses in controls and CPPinjected rats and lowered the percentage of omissions in CPP-injected rats. The data show that 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2A receptors in the mPFC exert opposing actions on attentional functioning and demonstrate a dissociable contribution of 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2A receptors in the mPFC to different aspects of executive control such as impulsivity and compulsive perseveration.

A familial form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is linked to the D178N/V129 prion protein (PrP) mutation. Tg(CJD) mice expressing the mouse homolog of this mutant PrP synthesize a misfolded form of the mutant protein, which is aggregated and protease resistant. These mice develop clinical and pathological features reminiscent of CJD, including motor dysfunction, memory impairment, cerebral PrP deposition, and gliosis. Tg(CJD) mice also display electroencephalographic abnormalities and severe alterations of sleep-wake patterns strikingly similar to those seen in a human patient carrying the D178N/V129 mutation. Neurons in these mice show swelling of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) with intracellular retention of mutant PrP, suggesting that ER dysfunction could contribute to the pathology. These results establish a transgenic animal model of a genetic prion disease recapitulating cognitive, motor, and neurophysiological abnormalities of the human disorder. Tg(CJD) mice have the potential for giving greater insight into the spectrum of neuronal dysfunction in prion diseases.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of certain mood disorders, including depression and anxiety. It is, however, not known which of the five cloned NPY receptors mediate these functions. We investigated the effect of Y2 receptor deletion on anxiety and stress-related behaviours. In the elevated plus maze, Y2 knock out (Y2(-/-)) mice showed a 2.7-fold higher frequency of entering into, and spent 3.8 times more time within, the open arms compared to controls, while entries into the closed arms did not differ. Similarly Y2(-/-) mice entered the central area of the open field 1.7 times more frequently and also spent 1.8 times more time there. In the light/dark test Y2(-/-) mice had a 4.8-fold lower latency to enter the lit area but stayed there 2.6 times longer than control mice. Y2(-/-) mice displayed 3.2-fold less immobility in the forced swim test, indicating improved stress coping ability. Y2 receptors are predominantly located presynaptically where they mediate feedback inhibition of neurotransmitter release. Deletion of these receptors may result in enhanced release of NPY, GABA and/or glutamate in brain areas linked to the manifestation of anxiety, and stress-related behaviour such as the amygdala. Taken together, deletion of the Y2 receptor has revealed an important role of Y2 receptors in the generation of anxiety-related and stress-related behaviours in mice.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the accumulation and deposition of plaques of ␤-amyloid (A␤) peptide in the brain. Given its pivotal role, new therapies targeting A␤ are in demand. We rationally designed liposomes targeting the brain and promoting the disaggregation of A␤ assemblies and evaluated their efficiency in reducing the A␤ burden in Alzheimer's disease mouse models. Liposomes were bifunctionalized with a peptide derived from the apolipoprotein-E receptor-binding domain for blood-brain barrier targeting and with phosphatidic acid for A␤ binding. Bifunctionalized liposomes display the unique ability to hinder the formation of, and disaggregate, A␤ assemblies in vitro (EM experiments). Administration of bifunctionalized liposomes to APP/presenilin 1 transgenic mice (aged 10 months) for 3 weeks (three injections per week) decreased total brain-insoluble A␤ 1-42 (Ϫ33%), assessed by ELISA, and the number and total area of plaques (Ϫ34%) detected histologically. Also, brain A␤ oligomers were reduced (Ϫ70.5%), as assessed by SDS-PAGE. Plaque reduction was confirmed in APP23 transgenic mice (aged 15 months) either histologically or by PET imaging with [ 11 C]Pittsburgh compound B (PIB). The reduction of brain A␤ was associated with its increase in liver (ϩ18%) and spleen (ϩ20%). Notably, the novel-object recognition test showed that the treatment ameliorated mouse impaired memory. Finally, liposomes reached the brain in an intact form, as determined by confocal microscopy experiments with fluorescently labeled liposomes. These data suggest that bifunctionalized liposomes destabilize brain A␤ aggregates and promote peptide removal across the blood-brain barrier and its peripheral clearance. This all-in-one multitask therapeutic device can be considered as a candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

We investigated whether 5-HT 2A receptors contribute to the control of attentional performance by glutamate NMDA receptor mechanisms in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We examined the effects of NMDA receptor blockade in the mPFC on attentional performance by infusing a competitive glutamate NMDA receptor antagonist, 3-(R)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP) into the mPFC of rats performing a task of divided and sustained visual attention. The five-choice serial reaction time task provides indices of attentional functioning (% correct responses), executive control (measured by anticipatory and perseverative responses) and speed. A dose of 10 ng CPP injected bilaterally into the mPFC increased anticipatory and perseverative responding; 50 ng reduced accuracy. Increasing the stimulus duration alleviated the CPP-induced accuracy deficit but did not reduce its effects on anticipatory and perseverative responses. CPP at 50 ng caused motor hyperactivity whereas lower doses had no effect., a 5-HT 2A receptor antagonist, injected subcutaneously at 10 and 40 mg/kg, had no effect on accuracy but dose dependently reversed the impairment induced by 50 ng CPP. Both doses of M100907 completely abolished CPP-induced anticipatory but not perseverative over-responding. At the dose of 40 mg/kg M100907 reversed CPPinduced motor hyperactivity. This study provides evidence that the prefronto-cortical glutamate NMDA system may make an important contribution to the control of attention and executive functions. It also indicates that 5-HT 2A receptors may serve to optimize attentional selectivity and improve some aspects of executive control.

The production of soluble amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs) and the activation of inflammation are two important early steps in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The central role of oligomers as responsible for the neuronal dysfunction associated with the clinical features has been extended to the other protein misfolding disorders definable, on this basis, as oligomeropathies. In AD, recent evidence indicates that the mechanism of inflammation as a consequence of neurodegeneration must be assessed in favor of a more direct role of glial activation in the alteration of synaptic function. Our own experimental models demonstrate the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatments in preventing the cognitive deficits induced acutely by AβOs applied directly in the brain. Moreover, some promising clinical tools are based on immunological activation reducing the presence of cerebral Aβ deposits. However, the strategies based on the control of inflammatory factors as well as the amyloid aggregation show poor or non-therapeutic efficacy. Numerous studies have examined inflammatory factors in biological fluids as possible markers of the neuroinflammation in AD. In some cases, altered levels of cytokines or other inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid correlate with the severity of the disease. Here we propose, according to the precision medicine principles, innovative therapeutic approaches to AD based on the patient’s inflammatory profile/state. The earlier intervention and a multifactor approach are two other elements considered essential to improve the chances of effective therapy in AD.