Review Article

Mouse Models of Down Syndrome as a Tool to Unravel the Causes of Mental Disabilities

Table 3

Therapeutical approaches tested in DS and in the Ts65Dn mouse.

TherapiesDSTs65Dn

Targeting neurogenesis
(i) Fluoxetine
(ii) Lithium
(iii) SAG 1.1
(iv) Environmental enrichment
(i) Not tested
(ii) Not tested
(iii) Not tested
(iv) Improves cognition
(i) Restores BDNF levels, neurogenesis, dendritic maturation and branching and cognition
(ii) Restores neurogenesis
(iii) Restores neurogenesis and cognition
(iv) Restores neurogenesis, improves cognition, no effect on dendritic arborization in TS mice

Targeting inhibition
(i) Picrotoxin
(ii) Bilobalide
(iii) PTZ
(iv) α5IA
(i) Not tested
(ii) Not tested
(iii) Not tested
(iv) Not tested
(i) Rescues LTP and cognition
(ii) Rescues LTP and cognition
(iii) Rescues LTP and cognition
(iv) Rescues cognition

Targeting NMDA receptor functioning
(i) Memantine(i) No effect(i) Improves cognition, reduces APP levels

Targeting NA functioning
(i) L-DOPS
(ii) Xamoterol
(i) Not tested
(ii) Not tested
(i) Rescues cognition
(ii) Rescues cognition

Targeting neurotrophins
(i) NGF(i) Not tested(i) Rescues BFCNs altered size and number
(ii) Peptide 6 (CNFT)(ii) Not tested(ii) Improves learning and memory, enhanced neurogenesis
(iii) EGCG(iii) Not tested(iii) Rescued BDNF levels, brain size, and LTP in the Dyr1A Tg mouse
(iv) Neurotrophin(iv) Not tested(iv) Prevents decline in BDNF expression, improves cognition

Targeting inflammatory activity
(i) Minocycline(i) Not tested(i) Inhibits microglia activation, prevents neuron loss, improves working, and reference memory

Neuropeptides
(i) NAP and SAL(i) Not tested(i) Rescues acquisition of neurodevelopmental milestones, increases ADNP levels and rescued ADNP levels

Targeting oxidative stress: antioxidants
(i) SGS111
(ii) Vitamin E
(iii) Combined antioxidant supplementation
(iv) Folinic acid/ folinic acid + antioxidants
(i) Not tested
(ii) No effect
(iii) No effect
(iv) Beneficial effect on developmental age/no effect
(i) No effect on cognition
(ii) Reduced oxidative stress, improved cognitive performance, reduced cholinergic neuron pathology, and increased cell density in the DG

Estrogens(i) Not tested(i) In females enhanced cognition, increased the size and number of cholinergic neurons and NGF levels

Targeting AD neuropathology
(i) DAPT
(ii) Donepezil
(i) Not tested
(ii) No effect/small effect
(i) Reduced beta-amyloid levels, rescued cognition
(ii) No effect