Animal Models of Alzheimer’s Disease, Stroke, Type II Diabetes Co-morbidity: The Role of Hippocampal Adult Neurogenesis

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive decline in cognition and memory in the aging population. This progression is advanced by risk factors for vascular cognitive impairment, such as stroke and diabetes. The present study examines hippocampal adult neurogenesis in the animal models for combined stroke and AD, and combined type II diabetes and AD treatments. Stroke or AD treatment alone significantly impaired dendritic arborization of young neurons 3 weeks after the surgery. The combined treatment further reduced neuronal survival by over 90%. No significant changes in cell proliferation and neuronal survival were observed after combined type II diabetes and AD treatment. Our evidence suggests that combined stroke & AD can impact the survival of young neurons leading to more dramatic consequences in terms of possible cognitive decline. These effects on neurogenesis could contribute to the early onset and progression of Alzheimer’s dementia.MAS