Chronic Microdose Lithium Treatment Prevented Memory Loss and Neurohistopathological Changes in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Author(s)

Nunes, Marielza Andrade ^{[1, 2]} ; Schoewe, Natalia Mendes ^{[3, 2]} ; Monteiro-Silva, Karla Cristina ^[1] ; Baraldi-Tornisielo, Ticiana ^{[1, 2]} ; Goncalves Souza, Suzzanna Ingryd ^[1] ; Balthazar, Janaina ^[3] ; Albuquerque, Marilia Silva ^{[1, 2]} ; Caetano, Ariadiny Lima ^{[1, 2]} ; Viel, Tania Araujo ^{[4, 3, 2]} ; Buck, Hudson Sousa ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Santa Casa de Sao Paulo Sch Med Sci, Dept Physiol Sci, BR-01221020 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Res Grp Neuropharmacol Aging ReGNA, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Graduat Course Pharmacol, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Arts Sci & Humanities, BR-03828080 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PLoS One; v. 10, n. 11 NOV 25 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 21

Abstract

The use of lithium is well established in bipolar disorders and the benefits are being demonstrated in neurodegenerative disorders. Recently, our group showed that treatment with microdose lithium stabilized the cognitive deficits observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. In order to verify the lithium microdose potential in preventing the disease development, the aim of this work was to verify the effects of chronic treatment with microdose lithium given before and after the appearance of symptoms in a mouse model of a disease similar to AD. Transgenic mice (Cg-Tg(PDGFB-APPSwInd) 20Lms/2J) and their non-transgenic litter mate genetic controls were treated with lithium carbonate (1.2 mg/Kg/day in drinking water) for 16 or 8 months starting at two and ten months of age, respectively. Similar groups were treated with water. At the end of treatments, both lithium treated transgenic groups and non-transgenic mice showed no memory disruption, different from what was observed in the water treated transgenic group. Transgenic mice treated with lithium since two months of age showed decreased number of senile plaques, no neuronal loss in cortex and hippocampus and increased BDNF density in cortex, when compared to non-treated transgenic mice. It is suitable to conclude that these data support the use of microdose lithium in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, once the neurohistopathological characteristics of the disease were modified and the memory of transgenic animals was maintained. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/12917-3 - Evaluation of molecular changes in the brain cholinergic system after the use of non-pharmacological strategies to improve memory
• Grantee: Tânia Araújo Viel
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/19999-8 - Study of cholinergic molecular changes that occur after the application of non-pharmacological strategies to improve memory
• Grantee: Natália Mendes Schowe
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Technical Training Program - Technical Training