Pathological substrate of memory impairment in multiple system atrophy

AIMS AND METHODS: Synaptic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease is caused by propagation of pathogenic α-synuclein between neurons. Previously, in multiple system atrophy (MSA), pathologically characterised by ectopic deposition of abnormal α-synuclein predominantly in oligodendrocytes, we demonstrated that the occurrence of memory impairment was associated with the number of α-synuclein-positive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCIs) in the hippocampus. Here, using a mouse model of adult-onset MSA and human cases (MSA, N = 25; Parkinson's disease, N = 3, Alzheimer's disease, N = 2; normal controls, N = 11), we aimed to investigate how abnormal α-synuclein in the hippocampus can lead to memory impairment. RESULTS: In the MSA model, inducible human α-synuclein was first expressed in oligodendrocytes, and subsequently accumulated in the cytoplasm of excitatory hippocampal neurons (NCI-like structures) and their presynaptic nerve terminals with the development of memory impairment. α-Synuclein oligomers increased simultaneously in the hippocampus of the MSA model. Hippocampal dendritic spines also decreased in number, followed by suppression of long-term potentiation. Consistent with these findings obtained in the MSA model, post-mortem analysis of human MSA brain tissues showed that cases of MSA with memory impairment developed more NCIs in excitatory hippocampal neurons along with α-synuclein oligomers than those without. CONCLUSIONS: our results provide new insights into the role of α-synuclein oligomers as a possible pathological cause of memory impairment in MSA