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Effects of secreted oligomers of amyloid beta-protein on hippocampal synaptic plasticity: a potent role for trimers
Townsend M, Shankar GM, Mehta T, Walsh DM, Selkoe DJ.. The Journal of physiology, 2006-02-09
Topic: Disease mechanisms in lab and animal studies
The accumulation of amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) in brain regions serving memory and cognition is a central pathogenic feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have shown that small soluble oligomers of human Abeta that are naturally secreted by cultured cells inhibit hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in vitro and in vivo and transiently impair the recall of a complex learned behaviour in rats. These results support the hypothesis that diffusible oligomers of Abeta initiate a synaptic dysfunction that may be an early event in AD. We now report detailed electrophysiological analyses that define conditions under which acute application of soluble Abeta inhibits hippocampal synaptic plasticity in wild-type mice. To ascertain which Abeta assemblies contribute to the impairment of LTP, we fractionated oligomers by size-exclusion chromatography and found that Abeta trimers fully inhibit LTP, whereas dimers and tetramers have an intermediate potency. Natural Abeta oligomers are sensitive to heat denaturation, primarily inhibit the induction phase of LTP, and cause a sustained impairment of LTP even after extensive washout. We observed no effects of Abeta oligomers on presynaptic vesicle release. LTP in juvenile mice is resistant to the effects of Abeta oligomers, as is brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor-induced LTP in adult hippocampus. We conclude that specific assemblies, particularly timers, of naturally secreted Abeta oligomers are potent and selective inhibitors of certain forms of hippocampal LTP.
Key findings
- We have shown that small soluble oligomers of human Abeta that are naturally secreted by cultured cells inhibit hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in vitro and in vivo and transiently impair the recall of a complex learned behaviour in rats.
- These results support the hypothesis that diffusible oligomers of Abeta initiate a synaptic dysfunction that may be an early event in AD.
- We observed no effects of Abeta oligomers on presynaptic vesicle release.
- We conclude that specific assemblies, particularly timers, of naturally secreted Abeta oligomers are potent and selective inhibitors of certain forms of hippocampal LTP.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 36/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 21 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 36 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The Journal of physiology) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2006 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16469784) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 21 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 21 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 36 out of 100. |
| Total | 36 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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APA 7th
Townsend, M., Shankar, G. M., Mehta, T., Walsh, D. M., & Selkoe, D. J. (2006). Effects of secreted oligomers of amyloid beta-protein on hippocampal synaptic plasticity: a potent role for trimers. The Journal of physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2005.103754
Vancouver
Townsend M, Shankar GM, Mehta T, Walsh DM, Selkoe DJ. Effects of secreted oligomers of amyloid beta-protein on hippocampal synaptic plasticity: a potent role for trimers. The Journal of physiology. 2006. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2005.103754. PMID: 16469784.
BibTeX
@article{townsend2006-16469784,
author = {Townsend, M. and Shankar, G. M. and Mehta, T. and Walsh, D. M. and Selkoe, D. J.},
title = {{Effects of secreted oligomers of amyloid beta-protein on hippocampal synaptic plasticity: a potent role for trimers}},
journal = {The Journal of physiology},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1113/jphysiol.2005.103754},
pmid = {16469784},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2005.103754}
}
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