Cognitive abilities of a mouse model for Alzheimer's disease in the water maze.

• Main Author: See Tho, Sean Kang Wei.
• Other Authors: School of Biological Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Human anatomy and physiology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/49355
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been a major cause of concern in a worldwide graying population. Researchers have attempted to model the disease’s symptoms in animal models to better understand its mechanisms and develop possible treatment strategies using these models. Our study focuses on the use of a novel anti-sense microRNA treatment that aims to reduce AD symptoms and improve performance in the 3 X Tg-AD (3AD) mouse model. The performance of 3AD mice will be assessed in cognitive and behavioral tests like the water maze, open field and novel object recognition tests. A pilot study was first conducted on non-treated 3AD and wild type mice (WT) to justify the experimental protocols used on the treated mice in the second study. The pilot study enabled the accurate modification of protocols and supported the use of the 3AD mouse model as a suitable model for testing treatment effects. The treated mice study showed that 3AD mice with anti-miRNA treatment performed the best in cognitive tests. This result suggests that the anti-miRNA treatment has an enhancement effect on the cognitive abilities of 3AD mice and can ameliorate AD symptoms. The success of this treatment in our preliminary study provides the foundation upon which anti-miRNA may be further developed as a possible treatment strategy for AD.