Dopamine Beta-Hydroxylase/Galanin Transgenic Mice

Introduction Galanin is a neuropeptide with multiple inhibitory actions on neurotransmission and memory. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), increased galanin-containing fibers hyperinnervate cholinergic neurons within the basal forebrain in association with a decline in cognition. Technology description Dr Steiner’s laboratory has generated transgenic mice (GAL-tg) that overexpress galanin under the control of the dopamine β-hydroxylase promoter to study the neurochemical and behavioral sequelae of a mouse model of galanin overexpression in AD. For neurochemical and behavioral phenotyping, GAL-tg mice were backcrossed into C57BL/6J for seven generations, to avoid complications of mixed genetic background and strains with unusual alleles relevant to memory tasks. Behavioral phenotyping indicated that GALtgs displayed normal general health and sensory and motor abilities; however, GAL-tg mice showed selective performance deficits on the Morris spatial navigational task and the social transmission of food preference olfactory memory test. These results suggest that elevated expression of galanin contributes to the neurochemical and cognitive impairments characteristic of AD. Related Publication(s)
Proc Natl Acad Sc USA 98(7):4184-4189, 1998.

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