Analysis of Behavior and Brain Neuronal Density in B6.Cg-Tg(Prnp-SNCAA53T)23Mkle/J Mice, a Parkinson’s Disease Model

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive age-related neurodegenerative pathology of the central nervous system, characterized by a selective loss of dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal pathway and the presence of specific inclusions (Lewy bodies) in dopaminergic neurons. To study the mechanisms of this pathology and to search for possible ways for its correction, genetic mouse models of PD have been designed. Transgenic mice of the B6.Cg-Tg(Prnp-SNCA*A53T)23Mkle/J strain (hereinafter referred to as B6.Cg-Tg), one of such models, carry the A53T mutation in the human alpha-synuclein gene. The aim of this work was to study the locomotor activity and the level of anxiety, as well as the density of neurons in the brain of male B6.Cg-Tg mice aged six months. Sex- and age-matched wild type C57BL/6J mice were used as controls. The obtained results demonstrate that B6.Cg-Tg mice are characterized by a high locomotor activity and low anxiety. In addition, they demonstrate a selective decrease in the density of neurons in the subventricular zone and substantia nigra, as well as in the hippocampal CA1, CA3, CA4 regions and the granular layer of the dentate gyrus. Thus, B6.Cg-Tg mice at the age of six months only partially match the key pathophysiological hallmarks of PD, such as a reduced neuronal density in the substantia nigra and hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions. Meanwhile, these mice have neither bradykinesia nor high levels of anxiety.