Project 23

Degenerative changes in the brains of hypogonadal mice?

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a devastating neurological disease. There is evidence that the sex hormones oestrogen and testosterone play a role in the maintenance and repair of the CNS, and loss of these hormones with age may be associated with increasing risk of AD. We will examine the brains of a naturally occuring mutated mouse strain that has a genetic mutation in the gene that encodes gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH). As a result, no GnRH is produced and the gonadotropins (LH and FSH) and sex hormones are subsequently never produced. Therefore, hypogonadal mice are not capable of reproducing and have immature reproductive organs. We have brain material from aged (about 18 month old) normal and mutant mice and we will compare and quantify the expression of factors known to be associated with AD pathology.