Dissertation Defenses

Doctoral Dissertation Announcement

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Candidate: Kineta Lynn Morgan-Paisley

Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Psychology

Title: Disruptive Effects of Ab Oligomers to the Radial-Arm Maze Performance of Rats

Committee:
Dr. Alan Poling, Chair
Dr. Lisa Baker
Dr. Ron Van Houten
Dr. Steve Ragotzy

Date: Monday, May 5, 2008 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
3715 Wood Hall

Abstract:
Oligomers of amyloid-b have been implicated by converging lines of research to play an important role in the cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, very few studies have provided direct experimental evidence of such impairment and none of those studies have used an established model of working memory.  The present study sought to provide additional information about the effects of amyloid-b oligomers on memory by using a radial-arm maze, which is an established model of working memory, to examine the memory of two groups of rats.
The experimental group received ICV injections of the culture media (CM) of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells transfected with a human mutation of APP containing concentrations of soluble amyloid-b oligomers thought to cause early onset AD (i.e., 7PA2 CM). Whereas the control group received similar IVC injections which had not been transfected with APP and did not contain these oligomers (i.e., CHO- CM).  The 7PA2 CM significantly disrupted working memory, but the CHO- CM had no effect on memory.  The disruptive effects of 7PA2 were evident two hours after exposure and disappeared within a day.  These findings confirm the disruptive effects of 7PA2 CM and extend them to a widely accepted model of spatial memory in rodents.