Impulsivity and Attention Deficits in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease
Author Information
Author(s): Judd Jessica M., Winslow Wendy, McDonough Ian, Mistry Faizan, Velazquez Ramon
Primary Institution: Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute
Hypothesis
3xTg-AD mice will display impaired attention and heightened impulsivity as the reaction time tasks become more challenging compared to NonTg mice.
Conclusion
The study found that 3xTg-AD mice exhibited heightened impulsivity and impaired attention in reaction time tasks compared to NonTg mice.
Supporting Evidence
- 3xTg-AD mice showed lower percent Correct Responses than NonTg mice as task difficulty increased.
- 3xTg-AD mice exhibited premature nose pokes on trials requiring longer delays, indicating impulsivity.
- Presence of amyloid-β and tau pathology was confirmed in 3xTg-AD mice.
Takeaway
Researchers tested mice to see how well they could wait for a light before getting a reward, and the mice with Alzheimer's-like symptoms were more impulsive and less attentive.
Methodology
Mice underwent progressively more difficult reaction time tasks in an automated IntelliCage to assess attention and impulsivity.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the exclusion of mice that failed to engage in tasks.
Limitations
The study focused only on female 3xTg-AD mice, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
Female 3xTg-AD mice and C57BL6/129Svj non-transgenic controls.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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