Dysregulated IP3 signaling in cortical neurons of knock-in mice expressing an Alzheimer's-Linked mutation in Presenilin1 results in exaggerated Ca2+ signals and altered membrane excitability

Disruptions in intracellular Ca2+ signaling are proposed to underlie the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and it has recently been shown that AD-linked mutations in the presenilin 1 gene (PS1) enhance inositol triphosphate (IP3)-mediated Ca2+ liberation in nonexcitable cells. However, little is known of these actions in neurons, which are the principal locus of AD pathology. We therefore sought to determine how PS1 mutations affect Ca2+ signals and their subsequent downstream effector functions in cortical neurons. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recording, flash photolysis, and two-photon imaging in brain slices from 4-5-week-old mice, we show that IP3-evoked Ca2+ responses are more than threefold greater in PS1(M146V) knock-in mice relative to age-matched nontransgenic controls. Electrical excitability is thereby reduced via enhanced Ca2+ activation of K+ conductances. Action potential-evoked Ca2+ signals were unchanged, indicating that PS1(M146V) mutations specifically disrupt intracellular Ca2+ liberation rather than reduce cytosolic Ca2+ buffering or clearance. Moreover, IP3 receptor levels are not different in cortical homogenates, further suggesting that the exaggerated cytosolic Ca2+ signals may result from increased store filling and not from increased flux through additional IP3-gated channels. Even in young animals, PS1 mutations have profound effects on neuronal Ca2+ and electrical signaling: cumulatively, these disruptions may contribute to the long-term pathophysiology of AD.