Disruption of intracellular calcium homeostasis via abnormal and excessive activation of ryanodine receptors plays an important role in the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease. We investigated the therapeutic effect of dantrolene, a ryanodine receptor antagonist, on cognitive dysfunction and neuropathology in the triple transgenic Alzheimer mouse model (3xTg-AD). 3xTg-AD mice were treated with dantrolene from 2 to 13 months of age. Learning and memory were measured with the Morris Water Maze at 6, 10, and 13 months of age. Amyloid and tau neuropathology and biomarkers for synaptic dysfunction and neurodegeneration were examined in the brain using immunoblotting or immunohistochemistry. Dantrolene treatment for 11 months significantly reduced both memory deficits and amyloid plaque load in the hippocampus in 13-month-old 3xTg-AD mice. Dantrolene treatment, however, had no effect on phosphorylated tau, phosphorylated or total GSK-3β, synaptic markers, or mitochondrial or cytosolic cytochrome C. Our results suggest that dantrolene significantly improves cognition in a murine model of Alzheimer's disease and is associated with a reduction in amyloid plaque burden, forming the basis for a novel therapeutic approach for Alzheimer's disease.
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