Alzheimer's: Subtly deficient mice

Of the many changes in the brain correlated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), one is an elevation in the neuropeptide galanin. Now a transgenic mouse has been produced that has elevated galanin levels and displays subtle cognitive deficits characteristic of AD. The mouse will be useful for investigating galanin receptor antagonists to treat the disease.

In AD the amount of most neurotransmitters decreases as degeneration occurs, but galanin is an exception - levels of the neuropeptide increase. Interestingly, galanin is not genetically linked to AD, but it is possible that galanin over-expression may reflect an attempt to compensate for the neurodegeneration caused by AD...