Effect of environmental temperature on behavioral parameters in animal model for Alzheimer's Disease

• Grant number: 17/12648-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - General Physiology
• Principal researcher: Carlos Alberto da Silva
• Grantee: Talita Maria Senra Martins
• Home Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that presents one of its first symptoms the loss of recent memory, which can progress to a great cognitive decline. It can be divided in two forms: familial and sporadic. In both cases, one of its main histopathological markers are the neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) of Tau protein. Some animals models were developed to study of AD, among then the intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of streptozotocin (STZ), has been stablished as a model for sporadic AD. External factors can regulate the levels of Tau phosphorylation, such as temperature, in view of the fact that the decrease in temperature may lead to increase in Tau phosphorylation. Thus, this study will investigate the effect of environmental temperature on behavior parameters in an animal model for sporadic form of AD (the most prevalent form of the disease). For this, animals will be treated with intracerebroventricular injections of STZ and will be acclimated in subneutral temperature (22ºC) or neutral temperature (28ºC). To evaluate the behavior, Barnes maze and Social Interaction will be evaluated, and for the temperature evaluation, thermal place preference and infrared thermography, in addition to body temperature measurements will be performed. Our hypothesis is that, as temperature has an effect in Tau phosphorylation, a decrease in environmental temperature can lead to an increase in the level of Tau phosphorylation leading to a greater cognitive impairment in animals exposed to subneutral environment. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MOREIRA-SILVA, DANIEL; VIZIN, ROBSON C. L.; MARTINS, TALITA M. S.; FERREIRA, TATIANA L.; ALMEIDA, MARIA C.; CARRETTIERO, DANIEL C. Intracerebral Injection of Streptozotocin to Model Alzheimer Disease in Rats. BIO-PROTOCOL, v. 9, n. 20 OCT 20 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.