A novel Lgi1 mutation causes white matter abnormalities and impairs motor coordination in mice.

Leucine-rich glioma-inactivated protein 1 (LGI1) is known to play a key role in autosomal dominant lateral temporal lobe epilepsy (ADLTE). The ADLTE is an inherited disease characterized by focal seizures with distinctive auditory or aphasic symptoms. A large number of mutations on the Lgi1 gene have been reported and are believed to be the genetic cause for ADLTE. We identified a novel missense mutation, c.152A>G (p.Asp51Gly), on Lgi1 from a Chinese ADLTE patient who manifests locomotor imbalance and white matter reduction. However, it remains unknown how mutant LGI1 causes white matter abnormalities at molecular and cellular levels. Here, we generated a knock-in mouse bearing this Lgi1 mutation. We found that Lgi1D51G/D51G mice exhibited impaired defective white matter and motor coordination. We observed that Lgi1D51G/D51G mice displayed a reduced number of mature oligodendrocytes (OLs) and deficient OL differentiation in the white matter. However, the population of oligodendrocyte precursor cells was not affected in Lgi1D51G/D51G mice. Mechanistically, we showed that the Lgi1D51G mutation resulted in altered mTOR signaling and led to decreased levels of Sox10. Given that Sox10 is a key transcriptional factor to control OL differentiation, our results strongly suggest that the Lgi1D51G mutation may cause white matter abnormalities via inhibiting Sox10-dependent OL differentiation and myelination in the central nervous system.

Stride-level analysis of mouse open field behavior using deep-learning-based pose estimation.

Gait and posture are often perturbed in many neurological, neuromuscular, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Rodents provide a tractable model for elucidating disease mechanisms and interventions. Here, we develop a neural-network-based assay that adopts the commonly used open field apparatus for mouse gait and posture analysis. We quantitate both with high precision across 62 strains of mice. We characterize four mutants with known gait deficits and demonstrate that multiple autism spectrum disorder (ASD) models show gait and posture deficits, implying this is a general feature of ASD. Mouse gait and posture measures are highly heritable and fall into three distinct classes. We conduct a genome-wide association study to define the genetic architecture of stride-level mouse movement in the open field. We provide a method for gait and posture extraction from the open field and one of the largest laboratory mouse gait and posture data resources for the research community.

Balance rehabilitation with a virtual reality protocol for patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia: Protocol for a clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Neurodegenerative diseases are sporadic hereditary conditions characterized by progressive dysfunction of the nervous system. Among the symptoms, vestibulopathy is one of the causes of discomfort and a decrease in quality of life. Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a heterogeneous group of hereditary degenerative diseases involving the disorder of a single gene and is characterized by the progressive retrograde degeneration of fibers in the spinal cord. OBJECTIVE: To determine the benefits of vestibular rehabilitation involving virtual reality by comparing pre intervention and post intervention assessments in individuals with hereditary spastic paraplegia. METHODS: In this randomized controlled clinical trial from the Rebec platform RBR-3jmx67 in which allocation concealment was performed and the evaluators be blinded will be included. The participants will include 40 patients diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia. The interventions will include vestibular rehabilitation with virtual reality using the Wii® console, Wii-Remote and Wii Balance Board (Nintendo), and the studies will include pre- and post intervention assessments. Group I will include twenty volunteers who performed balance games. Group II will include twenty volunteers who performed balance games and muscle strength games. The games lasted from 30 minutes to an hour, and the sessions were performed twice a week for 10 weeks (total: 20 sessions). RESULTS: This study provides a definitive assessment of the effectiveness of a virtual reality vestibular rehabilitation program in halting the progression of hereditary spastic paraplegia, and this treatment can be personalized and affordable. CONCLUSION: The study will determine whether a vestibular rehabilitation program with the Nintendo Wii® involving virtual reality can reduce the progressive effect of hereditary spastic paraplegia and serve as an alternative treatment option that is accessible and inexpensive. Rebec platform trial: RBR-3JMX67.

Validity and reliability of smartphone use in assessing balance in patients with chronic ankle instability and healthy volunteers: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is associated with defective posture control and balance; thus, a proper assessment of these impairments is necessary for effective clinical decision-making. There is a need for portable, valid, and reliable methods to facilitate the easy collection of real-world data, such as mobile phones. RESEARCH QUESTION: Is the smartphone "MyAnkle" application valid and reliable in assessing balance in patients with CAI and healthy volunteers? METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. Sixty-five participants completed two assessment sessions, including 31 patients (n = 41 ankles with CAI and 21 asymptomatic ankles) and 34 healthy volunteers (n = 68 ankles). In each session, dynamic single-leg stance balance was measured simultaneously using the "MyAnkle" application and the Biodex balance system (BBS) version 3. Testing was conducted at three levels of BBS difficulty-4 (D4, hard, loose platform), 6 (D6, moderate), and 8 (D8, easy, stiffer platform)-and repeated with opened and closed eyes. Both limbs were tested in a random order by two independent blinded assessors. RESULTS: The two devices showed significant poor-to-moderate correlations when eyes were closed (p < 0.05). For discriminant validity, the application did not distinguish the two study groups in all tested conditions (p > 0.05), whereas the BBS weakly to moderately distinguished the dominant limbs in the two groups at all difficulty levels with eyes-open and at D8 with eyes-closed regardless to limb dominance. For reliability, a significantly poor to moderate inter-session reliability was noted for the two devices. SIGNIFICANCE: "MyAnkle" application is valid in assessing balance in patients with CAI when the eyes are closed. However, similarly to BBS, its one-week test-retest reliability may be insufficient for accurate follow-up of balance changes and need to be interpreted with caution. Future studies need to establish its inter-tester reliability and its usefulness in telerehabilitation.

Functional Characterization of Neurofilament Light Splicing and Misbalance in Zebrafish.

Neurofilaments (NFs), a major cytoskeletal component of motor neurons, play a key role in the differentiation, establishment and maintenance of their morphology and mechanical strength. The de novo assembly of these neuronal intermediate filaments requires the presence of the neurofilament light subunit (NEFL), whose expression is reduced in motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study used zebrafish as a model to characterize the NEFL homologue neflb, which encodes two different isoforms via a splicing of the primary transcript (neflbE4 and neflbE3). In vivo imaging showed that neflb is crucial for proper neuronal development, and that disrupting the balance between its two isoforms specifically affects the NF assembly and motor axon growth, with resultant motor deficits. This equilibrium is also disrupted upon the partial depletion of TDP-43 (TAR DNA-binding protein 43), an RNA-binding protein encoded by the gene TARDBP that is mislocalized into cytoplasmic inclusions in ALS. The study supports the interaction of the NEFL expression and splicing with TDP-43 in a common pathway, both biologically and pathogenetically.

[Genetics research on vestibular migraine].

The combination of vertigo, dizziness and balance disturbance with migraine is called vestibular migraine, which is frequently reported in clinical neurology. However, the exact pathophysiological mechanisms of vestibular migraine still remain unclear. Familial occurrence of VM has been reported, suggesting a genetic component. With the rapid development of molecular genetic technology in recent decades, the genetic research about vestibular migraine has become a hot topic. The outcomes of molecular genetic studies of vestibular migraine could benefit to unveil the mysterious causes of this disorder. The present review summarized the molecular genetic studies of vestibular migraine.

Polymorphism of the PPARD Gene and Dynamic Balance Performance in Han Chinese Children.

BACKGROUND: Athletic performances are complex traits with heritability of ~66%. Dynamic balance is one of the most important athletic performances, and there has been little studies for it in sports genomics. The candidate PPARD gene was reported to be able to affect muscle development for balance predisposition and influence the athletic performance including skiing triumph in the Caucasian population. This study aims to investigate whether the PPARD gene is a susceptibility gene for dynamic balance performance in Han Chinese children. RESULTS: A total 2244 children were recruited and their balance beam performances were measured. Five polymorphisms in the PPARD gene were genotyped through the MassARRAY Sequenom platform. Rs2016520 exerted significant association with dynamic balance performance (minor allele C, P = 0.015, Pcorrected < 0.05) and was affirmed in a meta-analysis by combining previously reported Caucasian cohorts (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = [1.30, 1.91], P < 10 -5) . Another polymorphism, rs2267668, was also significantly associated with dynamic balance performance (minor allele G, P = 0.015, Pcorrected < 0.05). In the dichotomous study, 321 cases (61% boys and 39% girls) and 370 controls (49% boys and 51% girls) in our samples were selected as representatives, and the thresholds were the mean velocity (0.737 m/s) ± standard deviation (0.264 m/s), in which rs2016520-C and rs2267668-G still remained significant (CI =1.41 [1.11~1.79], P = 0.004, Pcorrected < 0.016; CI =1.45 [1.14~1.86], P = 0.002, Pcorrected < 0.016). In different genders, consistent OR direction was observed for each variant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the PPARD gene is associated with dynamic balance performance of human being, and further studies to reveal its etiology is strongly suggested.

The evolution of hearing and balance.

New genetic tools have allowed researchers to compare how the brainstem auditory and vestibular nuclei develop in embryonic chicks and mice.

Static and dynamic postural control deficits in aging fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene premutation carriers.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with premutation alleles of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene are at risk of developing fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) during aging. Characterization of motor issues associated with aging in FMR1 premutation carriers is needed to determine neurodegenerative processes and establish new biobehavioral indicators to help identify individuals at greatest risk of developing FXTAS. METHODS: We examined postural stability in 18 premutation carriers ages 46-77 years and 14 age-matched healthy controls. Participants completed a test of static stance and two tests of dynamic postural sway on a force platform to quantify postural variability and complexity. CGG repeat length was measured for each premutation carrier, and MRI and neurological evaluations were conducted to identify carriers who currently met criteria for FXTAS. Of the 18 premutation carriers, seven met criteria for definite/probable FXTAS (FXTAS+), seven showed no MRI or neurological signs of FXTAS (FXTAS-), and four were inconclusive due to insufficient data. RESULTS: Compared to controls, premutation carriers showed increased center of pressure (COP) variability in the mediolateral (COPML) direction during static stance and reduced COP variability in the anterior-posterior (COPAP) direction during dynamic AP sway. They also showed reductions in COPML complexity during each postural condition. FXTAS+ individuals showed reduced COPAP variability compared to FXTAS- carriers and healthy controls during dynamic AP sway. Across all carriers, increased sway variability during static stance and decreased sway variability in target directions during dynamic sways were associated with greater CGG repeat length and more severe neurologically rated posture and gait abnormalities. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that aging FMR1 premutation carriers show static and dynamic postural control deficits relative to healthy controls implicating degenerative processes of spinocerebellar and cerebellar-brainstem circuits that may be independent of or precede the onset of FXTAS. Our finding that FXTAS+ and FXTAS- premutation carriers differed on their level of intentional AP sway suggests that neural mechanisms of dynamic postural control may be differentially impacted in patients with FXTAS, and its measurement may be useful for rapidly and precisely identifying disease presence and onset.

BST1 rs4698412 allelic variant increases the risk of gait or balance deficits in patients with Parkinson's disease.

AIMS: We aimed to explore effects of bone marrow stromal cell antigen-1 (BST1) rs4698412 allelic variant on brain activation and associative clinical symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: A total of 49 PD patients and 47 healthy control (HC) subjects were recruited for clinical evaluations, blood samples collection for genotypes, and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) scans. Based on BST1 rs4698412 allelic variant (G â†’ A), participants were further divided into 18 PD-GG, 31 PD-GA/AA, 20 HC-GG, and 27 HC-GA/AA carriers, which respectively indicated subjects carrying ancestral or risk allele in that locus in PD or HC. Two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to investigate main effects and interactions between PD and BST1 rs4698412 allelic variant on brain function via amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF). Spearman's correlations were then utilized to detect associations between interactive brain regions and clinical symptoms. RESULTS: Compared to HC subjects, PD patients exhibited increased ALFF values in left cerebellum_8 and cerebellum_9. Significant interaction was in right lingual gyrus, where there were the lowest ALFF values and ALFF values were only negatively associated with Timed Up and Go (TUG) test time in PD-GA/AA subgroup. CONCLUSION: BST1 rs4698412-modulated lingual gyrus functional alterations could be related to gait and balance dysfunction in PD.

Mitochondrial mutations associated with hearing and balance disorders.

Hearing and balance disorders are related to the inner ear and are among the major cause of falls in older adults. Hearing loss that commonly occurs with aging (aka presbyacusis) can result from noise exposure, smoking, ototoxic drugs and genetic factors such as mutations in nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been reported to play an important role in cell function by providing energy, as well as, cell death (apoptosis). This study aims to systematically review mitochondrial mutations associated with presbyacusis and suggests preventive measurements to improve the quality of life in older adults.

Progressive striatonigral degeneration in a transgenic mouse model of multiple system atrophy: translational implications for interventional therapies.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by widespread oligodendroglial cytoplasmic inclusions of filamentous α-synuclein, and neuronal loss in autonomic centres, basal ganglia and cerebellar circuits. It has been suggested that primary oligodendroglial α-synucleinopathy may represent a trigger in the pathogenesis of MSA, but the mechanisms underlying selective vulnerability and disease progression are unclear. The post-mortem analysis of MSA brains provides a static final picture of the disease neuropathology, but gives no clear indication on the sequence of pathogenic events in MSA. Therefore, alternative methods are needed to address these issues. We investigated selective vulnerability and disease progression in the transgenic PLP-α-syn mouse model of MSA characterized by targeted oligodendroglial α-synuclein overexpression aiming to provide a neuropathological correlate of motor deterioration. We show progressive motor deficits that emerge at 6 months of age and deteriorate up to 18 months of follow-up. The motor phenotype was associated with dopaminergic cell loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta at 6 months, followed by loss of striatal dopaminergic terminals and DARPP32-positive medium sized projection neurons at 12 months. Olivopontocerebellar motor loops remained spared in the PLP-α-syn model of MSA. These findings replicate progressive striatonigral degeneration underlying Parkinson-variant MSA. The initiation of the degenerative process was linked to an increase of soluble oligomeric α-synuclein species between 2 and 6 months. Early region-specific α-synuclein-associated activation profile of microglia was found in MSA substantia nigra. The role of abnormal neuroinflammatory signalling in disease progression was further supported by increased levels of CD68, CCL3, CCL5 and M-CSF with a peak in aged PLP-α-syn mice. In summary, transgenic PLP-α-syn mice show a distinctive oligodendroglial α-synucleinopathy that is associated with progressive striatonigral degeneration linked to abnormal neuroinflammatory response. The model provides a relevant tool for preclinical therapeutic target discovery for human Parkinson-variant MSA.

Motor function deficits in the 12 month-old female 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Motor problems occur early in some patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and as the disease progresses many patients develop motor dysfunction. Motor dysfunction has been reported in some mouse models of AD, including the 5xFAD mouse, thus this model may be particularly useful for studying motor dysfunction in AD. In order to determine the extent of motor dysfunction in these mice, we tested 11-13 month old female 5xFAD and wildtype (WT) control mice in a battery of motor behaviour tasks. The 5xFAD mice showed hind limb clasping, weighed less and had slower righting reflexes than WT mice. In the open field, the 5xFAD mice travelled a shorter distance than the WT mice, spent less time moving and had a slower movement speed. The 5xFAD mice fell faster than the WT mice from the balance beam, wire suspension, grid suspension and rotarod tasks, indicating dysfunctions in balance, grip strength, motor co-ordination and motor learning. The 5xFAD mice had a short, shuffling gait with a shorter stride length than WT mice and had a slower swim speed. The 5xFAD mice also failed to show an acoustic startle response, likely due to motor dysfunction and previously reported hearing impairment. The 5xFAD mice did not show deficits in the ability of peripheral motor nerves to drive muscle output, suggesting that motor impairments are not due to dysfunction in peripheral motor nerves. These results indicate that the aged 5xFAD mice are deficient in numerous motor behaviours, and suggest that these mice may prove to be a good model for studying the mechanisms of motor dysfunction in AD, and motor behaviour might prove useful for assessing the efficacy of AD therapeutics. Motor dysfunction in 5xFAD mice must also be considered in behavioural tests of sensory and cognitive function so that performance is not confounded by impaired locomotor or swimming behaviour.

Inhibition of colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor early in disease ameliorates motor deficits in SCA1 mice.

BACKGROUND: Polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in the protein Ataxin-1 (ATXN1) causes spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), a fatal dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor deficits, cerebellar neurodegeneration, and gliosis. Currently, there are no treatments available to delay or ameliorate SCA1. We have examined the effect of depleting microglia during the early stage of disease by using PLX, an inhibitor of colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSFR1), on disease severity in a mouse model of SCA1. METHODS: Transgenic mouse model of SCA1, ATXN1[82Q] mice, and wild-type littermate controls were treated with PLX from 3 weeks of age. The effects of PLX on microglial density, astrogliosis, motor behavior, atrophy, and gene expression of Purkinje neurons were examined at 3 months of age. RESULTS: PLX treatment resulted in the elimination of 70-80% of microglia from the cerebellum of both wild-type and ATXN1[82Q] mice. Importantly, PLX ameliorated motor deficits in SCA1 mice. While we have not observed significant improvement in the atrophy or disease-associated gene expression changes in Purkinje neurons upon PLX treatment, we have detected reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and increase in the protein levels of wild-type ataxin-1 and post-synaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) that may help improve PN function. CONCLUSIONS: A decrease in the number of microglia during an early stage of disease resulted in the amelioration of motor deficits in SCA1 mice.

Maturation arrest in early postnatal sensory receptors by deletion of the miR-183/96/182 cluster in mouse.

The polycistronic miR-183/96/182 cluster is preferentially and abundantly expressed in terminally differentiating sensory epithelia. To clarify its roles in the terminal differentiation of sensory receptors in vivo, we deleted the entire gene cluster in mouse germline through homologous recombination. The miR-183/96/182 null mice display impairment of the visual, auditory, vestibular, and olfactory systems, attributable to profound defects in sensory receptor terminal differentiation. Maturation of sensory receptor precursors is delayed, and they never attain a fully differentiated state. In the retina, delay in up-regulation of key photoreceptor genes underlies delayed outer segment elongation and possibly mispositioning of cone nuclei in the retina. Incomplete maturation of photoreceptors is followed shortly afterward by early-onset degeneration. Cell biologic and transcriptome analyses implicate dysregulation of ciliogenesis, nuclear translocation, and an epigenetic mechanism that may control timing of terminal differentiation in developing photoreceptors. In both the organ of Corti and the vestibular organ, impaired terminal differentiation manifests as immature stereocilia and kinocilia on the apical surface of hair cells. Our study thus establishes a dedicated role of the miR-183/96/182 cluster in driving the terminal differentiation of multiple sensory receptor cells.

Lower levels of uric acid and striatal dopamine in non-tremor dominant Parkinson's disease subtype.

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who present with tremor and maintain a predominance of tremor have a better prognosis. Similarly, PD patients with high levels of uric acid (UA), a natural neuroprotectant, have also a better disease course. Our aim was to investigate whether PD motor subtypes differ in their levels of UA, and if these differences correlate with the degree of dopamine transporter (DAT) availability. We included 75 PD patients from whom we collected information about their motor symptoms, DAT imaging and UA concentration levels. Based on the predominance of their motor symptoms, patients were classified into postural instability and gait disorder (PIGD, n = 36), intermediate (I, n = 22), and tremor-dominant (TD, n = 17) subtypes. The levels of UA and striatal DAT were compared across subtypes and the correlation between these two measures was also explored. We found that PIGD patients had lower levels of UA (3.7 vs 4.5 vs 5.3 mg/dL; P<0.001) and striatal DAT than patients with an intermediate or TD phenotype. Furthermore, UA levels significantly correlated with the levels of striatal DAT. We also observed that some PIGD (25%) and I (45%) patients had a predominance of tremor at disease onset. We speculate that UA might be involved in the maintenance of the less damaging TD phenotype and thus also in the conversion from TD to PIGD. Low levels of this natural antioxidant could lead to a major neuronal damage and therefore influence the conversion to a more severe motor phenotype.

Gene Therapy Restores Balance and Auditory Functions in a Mouse Model of Usher Syndrome.

Dizziness and hearing loss are among the most common disabilities. Many forms of hereditary balance and hearing disorders are caused by abnormal development of stereocilia, mechanosensory organelles on the apical surface of hair cells in the inner ear. The deaf whirler mouse, a model of human Usher syndrome (manifested by hearing loss, dizziness, and blindness), has a recessive mutation in the whirlin gene, which renders hair cell stereocilia short and dysfunctional. In this study, wild-type whirlin cDNA was delivered to the inner ears of neonatal whirler mice using adeno-associated virus serotype 2/8 (AAV8-whirlin) by injection into the posterior semicircular canal. Unilateral whirlin gene therapy injection was able to restore balance function as well as improve hearing in whirler mice for at least 4 months. Our data indicate that gene therapy is likely to become a treatment option for hereditary disorders of balance and hearing.

Conditional knockout of TOG results in CNS hypomyelination.

The tumor overexpressed gene (TOG) protein is present in RNA granules that transport myelin basic protein (MBP) mRNA in oligodendrocyte processes to the myelin compartment. Its role was investigated by conditionally knocking it out (KO) in myelinating glia in vivo. TOG KO mice have severe motor deficits that are already apparent at the time of weaning. This phenotype correlates with a paucity of myelin in several CNS regions, the most severe being in the spinal cord. In the TOG KO optic nerve <30% of axons are myelinated. The number of oligodendrocytes in the corpus callosum, cerebellum, and cervical spinal cord is normal. In the absence of TOG, the most patent biochemical change is a large reduction in MBP content, yet normal amounts of MBP transcripts are found in the brain of affected animals. MBP transcripts are largely confined to the cell body of the oligodendrocytes in the TOG KO in contrast to the situation in wild type mice where they are found in the processes of the oligodendrocytes and in the myelin compartment. These findings indicate that MBP gene expression involves a post-transcriptional TOG-dependent step. TOG may be necessary for MBP mRNA assembly into translation permissive granules, and/or for transport to preferred sites of translation. GLIA 2017;65:489-501.

Cerebellar volume mediates the relationship between FMR1 mRNA levels and voluntary step initiation in males with the premutation.

Recent evidence indicates that adults with a premutation (PM: 55-199 CGG repeats) expansion in the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene show postural control deficits that may reflect disruption to cerebellar motor regions. Less is known about the influence of reduced cerebellar volume and structural changes, and increase in CGG repeat and FMR1 mRNA levels on the attentional demands of step initiation in PM males. We investigated the effects of a concurrent cognitive task on choice stepping reaction time (CSRT) and explored the associations between CSRT performance, cerebellar volume, CGG size, and FMR1 mRNA levels in blood in PM males. We examined 19 PM males (ages 28-75) and 23 matched controls (CGG <44; ages 26-77), who performed a verbal fluency task during CSRT performance and single-task stepping without a secondary cognitive task. Our results provide preliminary evidence that smaller cerebellar volume (ß = -2.73, p = 0.002) and increasing CGG repeat length (ß = 1.69, p = 0.003) were associated with greater dual-task step initiation times in PM males, but not in controls. There was evidence of a mediating effect of cerebellar volume on the relationship between FMR1 mRNA levels and single-task CSRT performance in PM males (estimate coefficient = 8.69, standard error = 4.42, p = 0.049). These findings suggest increasing CGG repeat and FMR1 mRNA levels have neurotoxic effects on cerebellar regions underlying anticipatory postural responses during stepping. Cerebellar postural changes may be predictive of the increased risk of falls in older PM males.

Selective Degeneration of Entorhinal-CA1 Synapses in Alzheimer's Disease via Activation of DAPK1.

Excitatory pyramidal neurons in the entorhinal cortical layer II region (ECIIPN) form functional excitatory synapses with CA1 parvalbumin inhibitory neurons (CA1PV) and undergo selective degeneration in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we show that death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) is selectively activated in ECIIPN of AD mice. Inhibition of DAPK1 by deleting a catalytic domain or a death domain of DAPK1 rescues the ECIIPN-CA1PV synaptic loss and improves spatial learning and memory in AD mice. This study demonstrates that activation of DAPK1 in ECIIPN contributes to a memory loss in AD and hence warrants a promising target for the treatment of AD. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Our recent study reported that excitatory pyramidal neurons in the entorhinal cortical layer II region (ECIIPN) target to CA1 parvalbumin-type inhibitory neurons (CA1PV) at a direct pathway and are one of the most vulnerable brain cells that are selectively degenerated in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our present study shows that death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) is selectively activated in ECIIPN of AD mice. Inhibition of DAPK1 by deleting a catalytic domain or a death domain of DAPK1 rescues the ECIIPN-CA1PV synaptic loss and improves spatial learning and memory in the early stage of AD. These data not only demonstrate a crucial molecular event for synaptic degeneration but also provide a therapeutic target for the treatment of AD.