Anomalies in social behaviors and exploratory activities in an APPswe/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by deficits in social communication, associated with generalized apathy or agitation, as well as social memory. To assess social behaviors in 6-month-old male APPswe/PS1 bigenics relative to non-transgenic controls, the 3-chamber test was used, together with open-field and elevated plus-maze tests of exploration. APPswe/PS1 mice were less willing to engage in social interaction than wild-type, avoiding an unfamiliar stimulus mouse, probably not due to generalized apathy because in both tests of exploratory activity the mutants were hyperactive. This study reveals reduced sociability combined with hyperactivity in an APPswe/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer dementia. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.