Journal article

Age-Dependent Effects of A53T Alpha-Synuclein on Behavior and Dopaminergic Function

AW Oaks, M Frankfurt, DI Finkelstein, A Sidhu

Plos One | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2013

Open access

Abstract

Expression of A53T mutant human alpha-synuclein under the mouse prion promoter is among the most successful transgenic models of Parkinson's disease. Accumulation of A53T alpha-synuclein causes adult mice to develop severe motor impairment resulting in early death at 8-12 months of age. In younger, pre-symptomatic animals, altered motor activity and anxiety-like behaviors have also been reported. These behavioral changes, which precede severe neuropathology, may stem from non-pathological functions of alpha-synuclein, including modulation of monoamine neurotransmission. Our analysis over the adult life-span of motor activity, anxiety-like, and depressive-like behaviors identifies perturbatio..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by National Institute on Aging


Funding Acknowledgements

This work was supported primarily by National Institutes of Health grants to Anita Sidhu from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH075020), the National Institute on Aging (R01AG28108), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS060041). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.