RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Combined Treatment With Environmental Enrichment and (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Ameliorates Learning Deficits and Hippocampal Alterations in a Mouse Model of Down Syndrome
JF eneuro
JO eNeuro
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP ENEURO.0103-16.2016
DO 10.1523/ENEURO.0103-16.2016
VO 3
IS 5
A1 Catuara-Solarz, Silvina
A1 Espinosa-Carrasco, Jose
A1 Erb, Ionas
A1 Langohr, Klaus
A1 Gonzalez, Juan Ramon
A1 Notredame, Cedric
A1 Dierssen, Mara
YR 2016
UL http://www.eneuro.org/content/3/5/ENEURO.0103-16.2016.abstract
AB Intellectual disability in Down syndrome (DS) is accompanied by altered neuro-architecture, deficient synaptic plasticity, and excitation-inhibition imbalance in critical brain regions for learning and memory. Recently, we have demonstrated beneficial effects of a combined treatment with green tea extract containing (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and cognitive stimulation in young adult DS individuals. Although we could reproduce the cognitive-enhancing effects in mouse models, the underlying mechanisms of these beneficial effects are unknown. Here, we explored the effects of a combined therapy with environmental enrichment (EE) and EGCG in the Ts65Dn mouse model of DS at young age. Our results show that combined EE-EGCG treatment improved corticohippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Cognitive improvements were accompanied by a rescue of cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) dendritic spine density and a normalization of the proportion of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic markers in CA1 and dentate gyrus.