Cited by 326Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Apolipoprotein E4 Causes Age- and Tau-Dependent Impairment of GABAergic Interneurons, Leading to Learning and Memory Deficits in Mice

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Andrews-Zwilling, Yaisa, Bien-Ly, Nga, Xu, Qin, Li, Gang, Bernardo, Aubrey, Yoon, Seo Yeon, Zwilling, Daniel, Yan, Tonya Xue +2 more·2010·The Journal of Neuroscience

Abstract

Apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) is the major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We found that female apoE4 knock-in (KI) mice had an age-dependent decrease in hilar GABAergic interneurons that correlated with the extent of learning and memory deficits, as determined in the Morris water maze, in aged mice. Treating apoE4-KI mice with daily peritoneal injections of the GABA A receptor potentiator pentobarbital at 20 mg/kg for 4 weeks rescued the learning and memory deficits. In neurotoxic apoE4 fragment transgenic mice, hilar GABAergic interneuron loss was even more pronounced and also correlated with the extent of learning and memory deficits. Neurodegeneration and tauopathy occurred earliest in hilar interneurons in apoE4 fragment transgenic mice; eliminating endogenous Tau prevented hilar GABAergic interneuron loss and the learning and memory deficits. The GABA A receptor antagonist picrotoxin abolished this rescue, while pentobarbital rescued learning deficits in the presence of endogenous Tau. Thus, apoE4 causes age- and Tau-dependent impairment of hilar GABAergic interneurons, leading to learning and memory deficits in mice. Consequently, reducing Tau and enhancing GABA signaling are potential strategies to treat or prevent apoE4-related Alzheimer's disease.

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Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.4040-10.2010

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  • APOE4 exacerbates AD-related pathologies, including amyloid-beta plaques, Tau tangles, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.

    “It exacerbates AD-related pathologies, including amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques, Tau tangles, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation4–16.”

    From The APOE-R136S mutation protects against APOE4-driven tau pathology, neurodegeneration, and neuroinflammation (2023) · cites this paper as [9]

    The Results section (page not provided) reports neurodegeneration and phosphorylated-Tau pathology in mice expressing an apoE4 fragment. The Introduction (page not provided) says apoE4 colocalizes with amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, but that does not establish that it exacerbates either. The passages do not report exacerbated neuroinflammation. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • APOE genotypes might influence GABAergic interneuron generation and survival.

    “Previous studies with mouse (Andrews-Zwilling et al., 2010) and hiPSC-based (Wang et al., 2018) systems have shown that APOE genotypes might influence GABAergic interneuron generation and survival.”

    From Isogenic human stem cell models reveal mutation-dependent protective mechanisms of APOE3 Christchurch (2026) · cites this paper as Andrews-Zwilling et al., 2010

    The Results sections on age-dependent interneuron loss and Tau removal report fewer GABAergic interneurons in apoE4 mice and reduced survival in primary neuronal cultures. They support an effect on survival, but the paper does not establish an effect on GABAergic interneuron generation. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • ApoE4 knock-in mice exhibit an age-dependent loss of hilar GABAergic interneurons and deficits in learning and memory, which is more profound when the mice express neurotoxic apoE fragments.

    “apoE4 knock-in (KI) mice exhibit an age-dependent loss of hilar GABAergic interneurons and deficits in learning and memory, which is more profound when the mice express neurotoxic apoE fragments”

    From ApoE4 reduction: An emerging and promising therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease (2022) · cites this paper as Andrews-Zwilling et al 2010

    The Discussion reports age-dependent hilar GABAergic interneuron loss and learning and memory deficits in female apoE4 knock-in mice. It says interneuron loss was more pronounced in a separate neurotoxic apoE4-fragment transgenic model, but does not say that the learning and memory deficits were more profound or that those mice were knock-in mice. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • APOE4 leads to age- and Tau-dependent impairment of hilar GABAergic interneurons, resulting in learning and memory deficits in mice.

    “Tau is believed to play a key role in APOE4-related neuronal alterations during aging, as APOE4 leads to age- and Tau-dependent impairment of hilar GABAergic interneurons, resulting in learning and memory deficits in mice [75].”
  • Apolipoprotein E4 is associated with spatial learning and memory impairments.

    “and is associated with spatial learning and memory impairments [22].”

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Authors
Andrews-Zwilling, Y., Bien-Ly, N., Xu, Q., Li, G., Bernardo, A., Yoon, S. Y., Zwilling, D., Yan, T. X., Chen, L., & Huang, Y.
Affiliations
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • Gladstone Institutes (US)
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Published
2010-10-13
Volume
30
Issue
41
Pages
13707-13717
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W1977434686
Cited by
326
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 21
FWCI
11.05
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Gladstone Institutes
  • National Institutes of Health (1c06rr018928-01, AG‐022074)
  • National Institute on Aging (P01AG022074)
  • National Center for Research Resources (C06RR18928, C06-RR-018928)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Keywords
APOE ε4, Alzheimer's disease, GABAergic interneurons, hilar interneurons, tauopathy, learning and memory impairment, GABAA receptor, pentobarbital, picrotoxin, neurodegeneration, hippocampus, aging
MeSH terms
Age Factors, Analysis of Variance, Animals, Cells, Cultured, Electrophysiology, Female, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Immunohistochemistry, Interneurons, Memory Disorders, Mice, Transgenic, Nerve Degeneration, Pentobarbital, tau Proteins, Presynaptic Terminals, Statistics, Nonparametric, Maze Learning, Dentate Gyrus, Mice, Apolipoprotein E4

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