Age-Related Changes in the Synaptic Density of Amyloid-β Protein Precursor and Secretases in the Human Cerebral Cortex

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Pliássova, Anna^{a; b; 1} | Canas, Paula M.^{a; b; 1} | Xavier, Ana Carolina^a | da Silva, Beatriz S.^c | Cunha, Rodrigo A.^{a; b} | Agostinho, Paula^{a; b; *}

Affiliations: [a] CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Portugal | [b] FMUC - Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal | [c] Portuguese National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF IP), Coimbra, Portugal

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Paula Agostinho, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra,Portugal. Tel.: +351 239820190; Fax: +351 239822776; E-mails: pmgagostinho@gmail.com, pagostinho@fmed.uc.pt.

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) is involved in synaptic formation and function. In the human cingulate cortex, AβPP was preferentially located in the presynaptic active zone as in rodents, indicating a preserved subsynaptic AβPP distribution across species and brain regions. Synaptic AβPP immunoreactivity was decreased with aging in cortical samples collected from autopsies of males (20-80 years), whereas the synaptic levels of α-secretase (ADAM10) and β-secretase (BACE1) did not significantly change. Decreased AβPP levels may be related to lower allostasis of synapses in the aged brain and their greater susceptibility to dysfunction characteristic of the onset of neurodegenerative disorders.

Keywords: Aging, amyloid-β protein, human brain, α-secretase, β-secretase, sub-synaptic fractions, synapse

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-160213

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 1209-1214, 2016