ABSTRACT
Recent advances in the understanding of the genetic basis of Alzheimer's disease have enabled the production of transgenic mouse models of the disease. Utilizing both cDNA- and genomic-based approaches, these mouse models for Alzheimer's disease have already provided valuable insights into the pathogenesis of the disease and potential therapeutic interventions.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/genetics , Alzheimer Disease/etiology , Alzheimer Disease/therapy , Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/genetics , Animals , DNA, Complementary/genetics , Disease Models, Animal , Genomics , Humans , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , MutationABSTRACT
Several studies have demonstrated that dorsal, but not ventral, hippocampus is critical for spatial memory. The mnemonic role of the ventral hippocampus remains unclear. The existence of relatively direct connections between hypothalamic nuclei and ventral hippocampus suggests that the ventral hippocampus may be involved in acquisition of information regarding internal cues (e.g., hunger). Male Long-Evans rats received ibotenic acid-induced lesions of either dorsal or ventral hippocampus or underwent sham surgeries. After a 3 week recovery, subjects were tested on delayed alternation in a T-maze and on a task in which food-deprivation state was used as a contextual cue (Davidson and Jarrard, 1993). Rats with dorsal, but not ventral, lesions were impaired in delayed alternation, consistent with previous findings, but both groups were impaired in the learning of the internal state-shock association task.
