TitleD-cycloserine improves synaptic transmission in an animal model of Rett syndrome.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsNa ES, De Jesús-Cortés H, Martinez-Rivera A, Kabir ZD, Wang J, Ramesh V, Onder Y, Rajadhyaksha AM, Monteggia LM, Pieper AA
JournalPLoS One
Volume12
Issue8
Paginatione0183026
Date Published2017
ISSN1932-6203
KeywordsAnimals, Apnea, Brain Stem, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Corpus Striatum, Cycloserine, Disease Models, Animal, Gait, Hippocampus, Locomotion, Male, Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2, Mice, Mice, Transgenic, Muscle Strength, Rett Syndrome, Synaptic Transmission, Tremor
Abstract

Rett syndrome (RTT), a leading cause of intellectual disability in girls, is predominantly caused by mutations in the X-linked gene MECP2. Disruption of Mecp2 in mice recapitulates major features of RTT, including neurobehavioral abnormalities, which can be reversed by re-expression of normal Mecp2. Thus, there is reason to believe that RTT could be amenable to therapeutic intervention throughout the lifespan of patients after the onset of symptoms. A common feature underlying neuropsychiatric disorders, including RTT, is altered synaptic function in the brain. Here, we show that Mecp2tm1.1Jae/y mice display lower presynaptic function as assessed by paired pulse ratio, as well as decreased long term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal Schaffer-collateral-CA1 synapses. Treatment of Mecp2tm1.1Jae/y mice with D-cycloserine (DCS), an FDA-approved analog of the amino acid D-alanine with antibiotic and glycinergic activity, corrected the presynaptic but not LTP deficit without affecting deficient hippocampal BDNF levels. DCS treatment did, however, partially restore lower BDNF levels in the brain stem and striatum. Thus, treatment with DCS may mitigate the severity of some of the neurobehavioral symptoms experienced by patients with Rett syndrome.

DOI10.1371/journal.pone.0183026
Alternate JournalPLoS ONE
PubMed ID28813484
PubMed Central IDPMC5559075
Grant ListR01 DA029122 / DA / NIDA NIH HHS / United States