Alterations in Odor Hedonics in the 5XFAD Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model and the Influence of Sex

Olfactory impairments, including deficits in odor detection, discrimination, recognition, and changes in odor hedonics, are reported in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Rodent models of AD display deficits in odor learning, detection, and discrimination-recapitulating the clinical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioral neuroscience 2020-10, Vol.134 (5), p.407-416
Main Authors: Roberts, Elizabeth R, Dossat, Amanda M, del Mar Cortijo, María, Brundin, Patrik, Wesson, Daniel W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alzheimer's Disease
Animal
Animal Behavior
Animal Models
Animal Sex Differences
Female
Females
Investigations
Male
Mice
Neurodegenerative diseases
Odor recognition
Olfactory discrimination learning
Olfactory Perception
Olfactory preferences
Perceptual Discrimination
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Summary:Olfactory impairments, including deficits in odor detection, discrimination, recognition, and changes in odor hedonics, are reported in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Rodent models of AD display deficits in odor learning, detection, and discrimination-recapitulating the clinical condition. However, the impact of familial AD genetic mutations on odor hedonics is unknown. We tested 2-, 4-, and 6-month-old 5XFAD (Tg6799) mice in the 5-port odor multiple-choice task designed to assay a variety of odor-guided behaviors, including odor preferences/hedonics. We found that 5XFAD mice investigated odors longer than controls, an effect that was driven by 6-month-old mice. Interestingly, this effect was carried by females in the 5XFAD group, who investigated odors longer than age-matched males. Upon examining behavior directed toward individual odors to test for aberrant odor preferences, we uncovered that 5XFAD females at several ages displayed heightened preferences toward some of the odors, indicating aberrant hedonics. We observed no impairments in the ability to engage in the task in 5XFAD mice. Taken together, 5XFAD mice, particularly 5XFAD females, displayed prolonged odor investigation behavior and enhanced preferences to certain odors. The data provide insight into hedonic alterations that may occur in AD mouse models and how these are influenced by biological sex.
ISSN:0735-7044
1939-0084
DOI:10.1037/bne0000400