Dopamine neuronal loss contributes to memory and reward dysfunction in a model of Alzheimer’s disease

Dopaminergic dysfunction occurs in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The authors show that in a mouse model of AD, loss of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area, but not the substantia nigra, occurs at early pre-plaque stages, and may contribute to impaired cognition and reward processing.

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Annalisa Nobili, Emanuele Claudio Latagliata, Maria Teresa Viscomi, Virve Cavallucci, Debora Cutuli, Giacomo Giacovazzo, Paraskevi Krashia, Francesca Romana Rizzo, Ramona Marino, Mauro Federici, Paola De Bartolo, Daniela Aversa, Maria Concetta Dell’Acqua, Alberto Cordella, Marco Sancandi, Flavio Keller, Laura Petrosini, Stefano Puglisi-Allegra, Nicola Biagio Mercuri, Roberto Coccurello, Nicola Berretta, Marcello D’Amelio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2017-04-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14727