Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52246.
Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Iowa City, Iowa 52246.
eNeuro. 2024 Nov 26;11(11). doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0412-24.2024. Print 2024 Nov.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is marked by enlarged cerebral ventricles with normal intracranial pressure, plus three stereotypical symptoms: gait impairment, cognitive dysfunction, and urinary frequency with urge incontinence. The neural circuit dysfunction responsible for each of these symptoms remains unknown, and an adult mouse model would expand opportunities to explore these mechanisms in preclinical experiments. Here, we describe the first mouse model of chronic, communicating hydrocephalus with normal intracranial pressure. Hydrocephalic male and female mice had unsteady gait and reduced maximum velocity. Despite performing well on a variety of behavioral tests, they exhibited subtle learning impairments. Hydrocephalic mice also developed urinary frequency, and many became incontinent. This mouse model, with symptoms resembling human NPH, can be combined with molecular-genetic tools in any mouse strain to explore the neural circuit mechanisms of these symptoms. Preclinical work using this hydrocephalus model will lead to the development of new treatments for NPH symptoms.
正常压力脑积水(NPH)的特点是脑室扩大,颅内压正常,加上三个典型症状:步态障碍、认知功能障碍和伴有尿急失禁的尿频。导致这些症状的神经回路功能障碍尚不清楚,成年小鼠模型将为探索这些机制提供更多的临床前实验机会。在这里,我们描述了第一个具有正常颅内压的慢性交通性脑积水的小鼠模型。脑积水雄性和雌性小鼠的步态不稳定,最大速度降低。尽管在各种行为测试中表现良好,但它们表现出轻微的学习障碍。脑积水小鼠也出现尿频,许多小鼠出现失禁。这种具有类似人类 NPH 症状的小鼠模型可以与任何小鼠品系的分子遗传工具相结合,以探索这些症状的神经回路机制。使用这种脑积水模型的临床前工作将导致开发出针对 NPH 症状的新治疗方法。