Mouse model of Alzheimer’s reveals patterns of synaptic dysfunction using Multi-electrode array technology

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia with over 20 million sufferers worldwide but sadly there is no cure. It is a progressive disease which manifests a spectrum through a of symptoms including severe cognitive and behavioural defects. The exact pathology of the disease is not clearly understood however it is generally accepted loss of neuronal and synaptic function is an underlying factor.

A team of Neuroscientists from Leuven in Belgium used MultiChannel Systems MEA 1060 recording system and stimulus generator to carry out a revealing set of experiments on transgenic mice; exploring the synaptic changes that occur within the hippocampus. The mice were genetically altered to express hallmarks of Alzheimer's Disease including tau protein buildups which are believed to develop into nuerofibrillary tangles (NFT) these are characteristic in the brain of AD sufferers. Chong et al used three different transgenic models (APP.V7171, Tau.P301L and a bigenic variant combing APP.V7171, Tau.P301L) and compared these against a wild-type variant.



The Multi-electrode arrays provided an excellent platform for performing cell stimulation and extracellular recordings from multiple sites, simultaneously in different regions of the hippocampus (CA1 and CA3). The study compared synaptic transmission and plasticity in young adult mice (modelling a time-window in humans before typical AD symptoms manifests). They revealed that cognitive defects were already evident at this time in the transgenic mice compared to the wild-type variants. They also observed that different transgenic variants had different responses within the CA1 and CA3 region; indicating the origin of the range of symptoms for AD sufferers, and the possible pathology for this diversity.

The team confidently demonstrated MEAs as a "rapid and effective tool for analysing different transgenic mouse models" of Alzheimer's, offering repeatable, accurate data on region-specific activity. This study provides strong grounding for further studies of neurodegenerative disorders using MEA technology and the possibility for creating targeted treatments.

Synaptic dysfunction in hippocampus of transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease: A multi-electrode array study

Seon-Ah Chong, Iryna Benilova, Hamdy Shaban , Bart De Strooper, Herman Devijver, Dieder Moechars, Wolfgang Eberle, Carmen Bartic, Fred Van Leuven, Geert Callewaert

Neurobiology of Disease 44 (2011) 284–291