NU 2009-195 

Inventors

John Csernansky* 

Hongxin Dong 

Louis Muglia 

Short Description

Mouse model for directly testing the involvement of stress in Alzheimer's disease progress

Abstract

Northwestern researchers have engineered a triple transgenic mouse that can be used to investigate the contribution of stress to development of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The more common, sporadic form of AD is not well understood and is thought to arise through a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Psychological stress is one of the environmental factors thought to contribute to AD; however, the methods available for studying this phenomenon are limited to in vitro systems. This novel transgenic mouse model from Prof. Csernansky's group could allow researchers to get a granular view of the contribution of stress to the pathogenic process in vivo for the first time. In the future, this transgenic mouse model may also be used to identify aberrant signaling processes that can be targeted in order to slow down or completely halt progress of Alzheimer's disease. 

Applications

• Alzheimer's disease research

Advantages

• First in vivo system for testing the contribution of stress to AD

Publications

Dong H, Murphy K, Meng L, Montalvo-Ortiz J, Zeng Z, Kolber B, Zhang S, Muglia L, Csernansky J (2012)  Corticotropic Releasing Factor Accelerates Neuropathy and Cognitive Decline in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.  Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 28: 579-92.

IP Status