Cited by 82Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsMemory and Neural MechanismsNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Dopamine loss alters the hippocampus-nucleus accumbens synaptic transmission in the Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

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Cordella, Alberto, Krashia, Paraskevi, Nobili, Annalisa, Pignataro, Annabella, La Barbera, Livia, Viscomi, Maria Teresa, Valzania, Alessandro, Keller, Flavio +4 more·2018·Neurobiology of Disease

Abstract

The functional loop involving the ventral tegmental area (VTA), dorsal hippocampus and nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a pivotal role in the formation of spatial memory and persistent memory traces. In particular, the dopaminergic innervation from the VTA to the hippocampus is critical for hippocampal-related memory function and alterations in the midbrain dopaminergic system are frequently reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD), contributing to age-related decline in memory and non-cognitive functions. However, much less is known about the hippocampus-NAc connectivity in AD. Here, we evaluated the functioning of the hippocampus-to-NAc core connectivity in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD that shows a selective and progressive degeneration of VTA dopaminergic neurons. We show that reduced dopaminergic innervation in the Tg2576 hippocampus results in reduced synaptic plasticity and excitability of dorsal subiculum pyramidal neurons. Importantly, the glutamatergic transmission from the hippocampus to the NAc core is also impaired. Chemogenetic depolarisation of Tg2576 subicular pyramidal neurons with an excitatory Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs, or systemic administration of the DA precursor levodopa, can both rescue the deficits in Tg2576 mice. Our data suggest that the dopaminergic signalling in the hippocampus is essential for the proper functioning of the hippocampus-NAc excitatory synaptic transmission.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.05.006

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  • Degeneration of VTA DA neurons in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD is detectable since the age of 3 months and worsens over time.

    “Degeneration of VTA DA neurons in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD is detectable since the age of 3 months, and it worsens over time.”
  • Loss of TH+ terminals in the dorsal hippocampus and NAc shell results in a prominent drop of DA outflow to these projection areas and in a deficit of synaptic plasticity, followed by impairments in memory and reward performance in 6-month-old Tg2576 mice.

    “Loss of tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH + ) terminals in the dorsal hippocam­ pus and NAc shell results in a prominent drop of DA outflow to these projection areas and in a deficit of synaptic plasticity, followed by im­ pairments in memory and reward performance in 6-month-old Tg2576 mice (Cordella et al., 2018; Nobili et al., 2017).”
  • In the Tg2576 mouse model, degeneration of DA neurons results in lower DA outflow to projection areas including hippocampus and NAc shell, and correlates with impairment of the VTA-hippocampus-NAc circuit and with deficits in memory and reward performances.

    “In the Tg2576 mouse model, the degeneration of DA neurons results in a lower DA outflow to the projection areas, including the hippocampus and NAc shell, and correlates with the impairment of the VTA-hippocampus-NAc circuit and with deficits in memory and reward performances”
  • VTA degeneration in Tg2576 mice results in lower DA innervation in the dorsal hippocampus, leading to lower DA outflow.

    “VTA degeneration in Tg2576 mice results in lower DA innervation in the dorsal hippocampus, leading to lower DA outflow (Cordella et al., 2018; Nobili et al., 2017).”
  • Multiple functional alterations in Tg2576 DA neurons contribute to cell vulnerability and eventually lead to progressive degeneration and overt cognitive and non-cognitive deficits in older animals.

    “The present data confirm the hypothesis that multiple functional alterations in Tg2576 DA neurons contribute to cell vulnerability and eventually lead to progressive degeneration and overt cognitive and non-cognitive deficits in older animals (Cordella et al., 2018; Nobili et al., 2017).”

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Authors
Cordella, A., Krashia, P., Nobili, A., Pignataro, A., La Barbera, L., Viscomi, M. T., Valzania, A., Keller, F., Ammassari-Teule, M., Mercuri, N. B., Berretta, N., & D'Amelio, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
  • Università Campus Bio-Medico (IT)
  • Fondazione Santa Lucia (IT)
Corresponding author
  • Krashia, Paraskevi
  • Berretta, Nicola
Venue
Neurobiology of Disease
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-08
Volume
116
Pages
142-154
ISSN
0969-9961 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2803237253
Cited by
82
References
84
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2
FWCI
4.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neurobiology of Disease (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, ventral tegmental area, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, dopaminergic neurons, synaptic transmission, dorsal subiculum, glutamatergic neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity, memory, DREADD, levodopa
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Dopamine, Hippocampus, Male, Mice, Transgenic, Synaptic Transmission, Nucleus Accumbens, Organ Culture Techniques, Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials, Mice, Dopaminergic Neurons

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