Research Project Description:

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative condition that afflicts many, particularly the elderly, with its negative societal impact increasing fast due to aging populations.

While cognitive impairment is the main feature of AD, motor deficits are also widely reported. Recent reviews of the field indicate that mechanistic studies elucidating the relationship between cognitive and motor deficits are required. Such studies constitute a prerequisite for novel interventional studies targeting the motor system. In AD, degeneration is mainly observed within the brain, but recent evidence suggests spinal cord pathology as well. In addition to standard pathology (e.g., amyloid plaques), our collaborators recently identified connexin protein deficits in spinal cord samples of 5XFAD mice. Given that these proteins are implicated in diseases with motor deficits (e.g., ALS), a question arises as to whether they contribute to motor deficits in AD.

Here, we address this question by assessing the functional integrity of descending and ascending pathways traversing the spinal cord through motor (MEP) and somatosensory (SSEP) evoked potential assays, respectively. Under general anesthesia, 5XFAD transgenic mice will be implanted with electrodes above motor and somatosensory cortices as well as on each limb. During electrical stimulation at brain electrodes electromyographic responses will be recorded on each limb. Similarly, during electrical stimulation of limbs, electroencephalographic responses will be recorded. Electrophysiological responses will be collected at 3 and 9 months of age followed by spinal cord pathology quantifications.

We expect our study to provide evidence for or against a correlation between spinal cord cellular and molecular deficits and motor function deficits, thereby opening a new route for potential interventions.

Principal Investigator(s) and Coordinating Institution(s):

  • Prof Avgis Hadjipapas, University of Nicosia Medical School, Cyprus

Researchers at University of Nicosia Medical School:

  • Dr Nikolas Perentos
  • Dr Savvas Papakostas

**Other Researcher(s) Participating in the Project:

  • Dr Andreas Koupparis, Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics
  • Dr Ioanna Kousiappa, Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics

Other Participating Institution(s):

  • Center for Neuroscience and Integrated Brain Research (CENIBRE))
  • Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING)

Research Project Acronym: SCALD

Funding Institution: University of Nicosia Medical School

Funding Programme: 2022 Call of the University of Nicosia Medical School Research Seed Fund

Research Project Status: Ongoing

Start and End Dates: 01 September 2022 – 01 October 2024