Evaluation of molecular changes associated with aging in the Down Syndrome animal model

• Grant number: 19/15654-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: August 01, 2019
• End date: July 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Radiology
• Agreement: Instituto Jô Clemente
• Principal Investigator: Daniele de Paula Faria
• Grantee: Larissa Estessi de Souza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/15167-1 - Translational neuroimaging in intellectual disability: evaluation of molecular changes associated with aging in Down Syndrome, AP.JP

Abstract

Down Syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder on chromosome 21, which causes mental retardation, small mouth, drawn eyes, rounded head, and other characteristics. Individuals with DS have a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is a neurodegenerative disease, characterized by the formation of senile plaques composed of beta-amyloid (A²). The life expectancy of SD patients has increased in recent decades, making aging a new and important area of study in DS. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging is a very sensitive method for the detection of alterations, allowing the noninvasive study of cellular and molecular processes in vivo, being a very important tool in the understanding of the aging process, besides being a tool to aid in the diagnosis of neurological diseases. In this project, the aging process in DS will be analyzed by imaging (PET) using specific radiopharmaceuticals for evaluation of neuroinflammation, ²-amyloid plaque deposition and changes in white matter. These factors are altered in postmortem tissue analysis, but there were not yet evaluated by longitudinal in vivo imaging. The study of these parameters will be done in a temporal way, evaluating the changes throughout the life of the animal model of DS. The characterization of the alteration profile of these processes, as well as the correlation between them, may lead to the identification of critical moments for the initiation and therapeutic follow-up, or even development of new therapeutic interventions. (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)

FARIA, DANIELE DE PAULA; REAL, CAROLINE CRISTIANO; DE SOUZA, LARISSA ESTESSI; GARCEZ, ALEXANDRE TELES; NAVARRO MARQUES, FABIO LUIS; BUCHPIGUEL, CARLOS ALBERTO. Positron Emission Tomography Imaging for In Vivo Measuring of Myelin Content in the Lysolecithin Rat Model of Multiple Sclerosis. JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS, v. N/A, n. 168, p. 12-pg., 2021-02-01. (18/15167-1, 19/15654-2)

FARIA, DANIELE DE PAULA; REAL, CAROLINE CRISTIANO; DE SOUZA, LARISSA ESTESSI; GARCEZ, ALEXANDRE TELES; NAVARRO MARQUES, FABIO LUIS; BUCHPIGUEL, CARLOS ALBERTO. Positron Emission Tomography Imaging for In Vivo Measuring of Myelin Content in the Lysolecithin Rat Model of Multiple Sclerosis. JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS, n. 168, FEB 2021. (19/15654-2)

SOUZA, LARISSA ESTESSI DE; RIGHINI, CHIARA MARIA; MANTOVANI, DIMITRI BRIGIDE DE ALMEIDA; SILVA, MANUELLA PENIDO; LAZZAROTTO, GABRIELA; LIMBERGER, CHRISTIAN; BUCHPIGUEL, CARLOS ALBERTO; ZIMMER, EDUARDO RIGON; REAL, CAROLINE CRISTIANO; SPELTA, LIDIA EMMANUELA WIAZOWSKI; et al. Brain metabolic and behavioral alterations in a Down syndrome model. NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY, v. 148, p. 15-pg., 2025-09-01. (24/14294-0, 19/15654-2, 18/15167-1, 22/06370-3, 20/08015-0, 23/15682-1)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

SOUZA, Larissa Estessi de. Evaluation of molecular changes associated with ageing in a Down syndrome animal model. 2024. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina (FM/SBD) São Paulo.