Impairment of nesting behavior in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice

Background The studies on nesting behavior in AD transgenic mice are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to systematically observe nesting behavior of APPswe/PS1dE9 double transgenic mice and their littermate wild-type mice. Methods We chose three age-groups (2-3months,6-8months,10-12months) of male APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic (Tg) and littermate wild-type (WT) mice to observe their nest-building behaviors with chip shavings and paper towels. The differences in nesting scores of each group were evaluated afterwards. Results We found a main effect of genotype (F(1,51)=7.003, p<0.05) and age (F(2,51)=4.238, P<0.05) and interaction between genotype and age (F(2,51)=7.003, p<0.05 ) on chip shaving nest construction. There were no significant differences between Tg and WT mice in chip shaving nest construction until 10–12months (p<0.01). The results of nest-building with paper towels showed a significant effect of genotype (F(1,51)=13.15,p<0.001) and a main effect of age (F(2,51)=3.78,P<0.05), but no interaction between genotype and age (F(2,51)=2.186,p>0.05).Although at 6-8months,the difference between Tg and WT mice did not reach statistical significance(p>0.05), the downward trend was obvious. Conclusion The APPswe/PS1dE9 double transgenic mice show a genetic and age-dependent impairment of nesting behavior. Nesting material also impacts the nesting score. [Zhe Min, Shunan Wang, Jun Wu, Suming Zhang. Impairment of Nesting Behavior in APPswe/PS1dE9 Mice. Life Sci J 2013; 10(2): 1942-1945]. (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com 273