Session Information
Date: Monday, June 5, 2017
Session Title: Parkinson's Disease: Non-Motor Symptoms
Session Time: 1:45pm-3:15pm
Location: Exhibit Hall C
Objective: To assess motor and depressive behaviors in mice that are heterozygous for VMAT2 (VMAT2 HT).
Background: Dopamine (DA) is compartmentalized by the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2; SLC18A2), located in the plasma and vesicular membranes of dopaminergic neurons, which regulate levels of DA in neuronal compartments. Previous studies indicated that mice with a 50% genetic reduction in VMAT2 HT displayed depressive phenotype while performed normal locomotor activity tests at the time of 24 months.
Methods: Vmat2 HT mice were provided by professor Uhl GR and bred from heterozygote- heterozygote crosses of KO mice. Genotypes were confirmed by PCR. Vmat2 HT and WT littermates of 16 months old and 30 months old were assessed of motor function and depressive behaviors respectively. Locomotor activity was assessed as total distance moved in the open field test and total time consumed in pole test. Tail suspension test and sucrose preference test were conducted to observe depressive behaviors
Results: At the time of 16 months old, total distance moved in the open field test and total time consumed in pole test were similar between WT littermates and VMAT2 HT groups. VMAT2 HT mice (123.1±17.57s) display significant increase in immobility times in tail suspension test (p<0.05) and sucrose consume (54.73±3.911%) were significantly decreased in Vmat2 HT mice (p<0.05). At the time of 30 months old, both the results of open filed test and total time consumed in pole test suggested that Vmat2 HT mice displayed motor dysfunction compared with WT littermates (p<0.05). As for depressive-like behaviors, immobility time in tail suspension test of VMAT2 HT mice was significantly increased and sucrose consume in VMAT2 HT mice (40.92±7.655%) groups was significantly decreased (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Our data demonstrated that VMAT2 HT mice didn’t display motor dysfunction until 30 months old while depressive-like behaviors seemed to progress since 16 months old.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
K. Ma, J. Huang, L. Liu, C. Han, X. Guo, S. Guo, L. Wang, Y. Shen, Y. Xia, F. Wan, N. Xiong, T. Wang. Vmat2 heterozygote mice display motor dysfunction and progressive depressive-like behaviors [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2017; 32 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/vmat2-heterozygote-mice-display-motor-dysfunction-and-progressive-depressive-like-behaviors/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2017 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/vmat2-heterozygote-mice-display-motor-dysfunction-and-progressive-depressive-like-behaviors/