tetrathiomolybdate and Memory-Disorders

There is increasing evidence for the crucial role of metals in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Both the aggregation and neurotoxicity of amyloid-β are dependent on the presence of copper. This study investigated the ability of the copper-complexing drug tetrathiomolybdate to reduce amyloid-β pathology and spatial memory impairment in both a prevention and a treatment paradigm in the Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Tetrathiomolybdate treatment lowered brain copper and reduced amyloid-β levels in the prevention paradigm, but not in the treatment paradigm. Our data suggests that controlled lowering of systemic copper may achieve anti-amyloid effects if initiated early in the disease process.

Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Blotting, Western; Cerebral Cortex; Ceruloplasmin; Chelating Agents; Copper; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Hippocampus; Immunohistochemistry; Maze Learning; Memory Disorders; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Molybdenum; Random Allocation