ApoE4 confers better spatial memory than apoE3 in young adult hAPP-Yac/apoE-TR mice

Abstract

The APOE-ɛ4 allele is associated with increased cognitive decline during normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. However, several studies intriguingly found a beneficial effect on cognition in young adult human APOE-ɛ4 carriers. Here, we show that 3-month old bigenic hAPP-Yac/apoE4-TR mice outperformed their hAPP-Yac/apoE3-TR counterparts on learning and memory performances in the highly hippocampus-dependent, hidden-platform version of the Morris water maze task. The two mouse lines did not differ in a non-spatial visible-platform version of the task. This hAPP-Yac/apoE-TR model may thus provide a useful tool to study the mechanisms involved in the antagonistic pleiotropic effects of APOE-ɛ4 on cognitive functions.