Section Days abstract book 2010.indd - RUB Research School ...

LS_20
Effects of acute amyloid-beta treatment on hippocampal
synaptic plasticity in vivo
H. Yang 1,2. , J.Klausnitzer 1 , B.Penke 3 , L. Fülöp 3 , D. Manahan-Vaughan 1,2.
1 Medical Faculty, Department of Neurophysiology, 2 International Graduate School of
Neuroscience; Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany; 3 University of
Szeged, Dept. of Medical Chemistry, Dóm tér 8. H-6720 Szeged Hungary.
e-mail: Honghong.Yang@rub.de
According to the Amyloid cascade hypothesis, accumulation of amyloid-beta maybe the
initiate cause of Alzheimer’s disease. We investigated whether acute treatment of healthy
animals with oligomeric Abeta is sufficient to cause alterations in synaptic plasticity. As the
symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease typically emerge with advancing age, we also investigated
whether aged rats are more sensitive to Abeta treatment. Male Wistar rats of two separate age
groups were assessed: those that were treated with oligomeric Abeta at 8-9 weeks (young
adults) or at 6 months of age (aged adults).
Adult male rats were implanted with a stimulating electrode in the medial perforant path and a
recording electrode in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Abeta (1-42) or vehicle was applied via
the ipsilateral cerebral ventricle. High frequency stimulation (HFS, 200 Hz), applied 30min
after vehicle injection elicited LTP that lasted for at least 24h. In young adults, Abeta
injection resulted in LTP that lasted for