Award Date
May 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Interdisciplinary Programs
First Committee Member
Jefferson Kinney
Second Committee Member
Jeffrey Cummings
Third Committee Member
Samantha John
Fourth Committee Member
James Hyman
Fifth Committee Member
Chad Cross
Number of Pages
111
Abstract
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) currently affects about 6.9 million Americans, with over two-thirds of those individuals being women. Interestingly, changes in the brain indicative of AD coincide with the onset of menopause. Post-menopausal women have significantly higher levels of AD pathologies, including amyloid beta and hyperphosphorylated tau, than pre-menopausal women. To investigate the relationship between AD pathologies and menopause, we induced menopause-like state in an AD mouse model, APP/PS1, by treatment with 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) to accelerate ovarian follicle depletion. To monitor the transition to menopause, vaginal lavages and cytology was performed to determine if mice reached anestrous. Both female APP/PS1 mice and controls reached anestrous and tissues were evaluated for AD related changes. Female APP/PS1 mice treated with VCD had significantly reduced levels of AB-42 in the hippocampus. Overall, this study demonstrates the utility of using VCD in AD study to investigate the association with menopause. These studies could further research into novel biomarkers and therapeutics for women with AD.
Keywords
Alzheimer’s Disease; menopause
Disciplines
Medical Neurobiology | Neuroscience and Neurobiology | Neurosciences
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Repository Citation
Osse, Amanda M. Leisgang, "Investigations into the Relationship Between Menopause and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology in a Mouse Model with Ovarian Follicle Depletion" (2024). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 5058.
http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/37650883
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Included in
Medical Neurobiology Commons, Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons, Neurosciences Commons