Nerve growth factor and galantamine ameliorate early signs of neurodegeneration in anti-nerve growth factor mice

Phenotypic knockout of nerve growth factor (NGF) activity in transgenic anti-NGF mice (AD11 mice) results in a progressive neurodegenerative phenotype resembling Alzheimer’s disease. In this article, we examine whether and how the progressive neuro- degenerative phenotype of AD11 mice could be prevented or ameliorated by pharmacological treatments with NGF or the cho- linergic agonist galantamine, at a relatively early phase of Alzhei- mer’s disease-like neurodegeneration. We demonstrate that the neurodegeneration induced by the expression of anti-NGF anti- bodies in AD11 mice can be largely reversed by NGF delivery through an olfactory route