Neuronal Models for Studying Tau Pathology

Table 1

Overview of the most widely used models for studying Alzheimer's disease.

Model	Advantages	Drawbacks
Mus musculus (mouse)	(i) Highly evolved organism, brain anatomy, and metabolism close to humans, results often extrapolatable to humans; (ii) Cognitive symptoms of neurodegeneration can be assessed; (iii) Generation of conditional transgenic models possible	(i) Relatively long breeding/development time; (ii) Ethical concerns; (iii) Not suitable for drug screening; (iv) Expensive
Danio rerio (zebrafish)	(i) Ex-utero development in transparent capsule allows for live imaging of neurodegenerative processes; (ii) Short life cycle; (iii) Genetic manipulation tools available	(i) Brain anatomy and genetic setup distinct from humans; (ii) Behavior not sufficiently studied, difficult to evaluate cognitive deficits
Caenorhabditis elegans (nematode)	(i) Simple anatomy,; (ii) Easy laboratory culture, short life cycle; (iii) Genetic manipulation tools highly advanced	(i) Brain anatomy and genetics distinct from humans; (ii) Cognitive/behavioral deficits difficult to assess
Drosophila melanogaster; (fruit fly)	(i) Reference model for genetic studies; (ii) Suitable for drug screening; (iii) Short generation times, low maintenance costs; (iv) genetic manipulation tools highly advanced	(i) Brain anatomy and genetics distinct from humans; (ii) Cognitive/behavioral deficits difficult to assess
In vitro cell culture models	(i) Direct monitoring of parameters over time possible; (ii) Extremely valuable for high-throughput screening for therapeutic drugs; (iii) Easy handling, economic	(i) Organ structure not conserved, environmental cues/interaction with other organs are not taken into account; (ii) Ethical considerations in the case of human embryonic/fetal tissue as source material