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Jagielska A, Sałaciak K, Pytka K. Beyond the blur: Scopolamine's utility and limits in modeling cognitive disorders across sexes - Narrative review. Ageing Res Rev 2025; 104:102635. [PMID: 39653154 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2024] [Revised: 11/18/2024] [Accepted: 12/05/2024] [Indexed: 12/19/2024]
Abstract
Scopolamine, widely regarded as the gold standard in preclinical studies of memory impairments, acts as a non-selective antagonist of central and peripheral muscarinic receptors. While its application in modeling dementia primarily involves antagonism at the M1 receptor, its non-selective peripheral actions may introduce adverse effects that influence behavioral test outcomes. This review analyzes preclinical findings to consolidate knowledge on scopolamine's use and elucidate potential mechanisms responsible for its amnestic effects. We focused on recognition, spatial, and emotional memory processes, alongside executive functions such as attention, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. The cognitive effects of scopolamine are highly dose-dependent, influenced by factors such as species, age, and sex of subjects. Notably, scopolamine rapidly induces observable memory impairments across species, from fish to rodents and primates, often with deficits that can persist for days. However, the compound's broad action on muscarinic receptors and its peripheral side effects, including pupil dilation and reduced salivation, complicates result interpretation, particularly in tasks requiring visual discrimination or food intake. The review also highlights scopolamine's translational value in modeling dementia and Alzheimer's disease, emphasizing the importance of considering individual factors and task-specific designs. Despite its widespread use, scopolamine's limited specificity for cholinergic dysfunction and inability to fully mimic the complex pathophysiology of cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease point to the need for complementary models. This review aims to guide researchers in using scopolamine for modeling cognitive impairments, ensuring attention to factors impacting experimental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelika Jagielska
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland; Jagiellonian University Medical College, Doctoral School of Medical and Health Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Kinga Sałaciak
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Karolina Pytka
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
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Flores CC, Pasetto NA, Wang H, Dimitrov AG, Davis JF, Jiang Z, Davis CJ, Gerstner JR. Sleep and diurnal alternative polyadenylation sites associated with human APA-linked brain disorders. NPJ BIOLOGICAL TIMING AND SLEEP 2024; 1:11. [PMID: 39493890 PMCID: PMC11530375 DOI: 10.1038/s44323-024-00012-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 09/23/2024] [Indexed: 11/05/2024]
Abstract
Disruption of sleep and circadian rhythms are a comorbid feature of many pathologies, and can negatively influence many health conditions, including neurodegenerative disease, metabolic illness, cancer, and various neurological disorders. Genetic association studies linking sleep and circadian disturbances with disease susceptibility have mainly focused on changes in gene expression due to mutations, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms. The interaction between sleep and/or circadian rhythms with the use of Alternative Polyadenylation (APA) has been largely undescribed, particularly in the context of other disorders. APA generates transcript isoforms by utilizing various polyadenylation sites (PASs) from the same gene affecting its mRNA translation, stability, localization, and subsequent function. Here we identified unique APAs expressed in rat brain over time-of-day, immediately following sleep deprivation, and the subsequent recovery period. From these data, we performed a secondary analysis of these sleep- or time-of-day associated PASs with recently described APA-linked human brain disorder susceptibility genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos C. Flores
- Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA USA
| | - Nickolas A. Pasetto
- Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA USA
| | - Hongyang Wang
- Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA USA
- Institute of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Alexander G. Dimitrov
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA USA
| | - Jon F. Davis
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Pullman, WA USA
- Integrated Physiology Research, Novo Nordisk, Lexington, MA USA
| | - Zhihua Jiang
- Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA USA
| | - Christopher J. Davis
- Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA USA
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Pullman, WA USA
- Sleep and Performance Research Center, Washington State University, Spokane, WA USA
- Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA USA
| | - Jason R. Gerstner
- Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA USA
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Pullman, WA USA
- Sleep and Performance Research Center, Washington State University, Spokane, WA USA
- Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA USA
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Flores CC, Pasetto NA, Wang H, Dimitrov AG, Davis JF, Jiang Z, Davis CJ, Gerstner JR. Sleep and diurnal alternative polyadenylation sites associated with human APA-linked brain disorders. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4707772. [PMID: 39149473 PMCID: PMC11326403 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4707772/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Disruption of sleep and circadian rhythms are a comorbid feature of many pathologies, and can negatively influence many health conditions, including neurodegenerative disease, metabolic illness, cancer, and various neurological disorders. Genetic association studies linking sleep and circadian disturbances with disease susceptibility have mainly focused on changes in gene expression due to mutations, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms. The interaction between sleep and/or circadian rhythms with the use of Alternative Polyadenylation (APA) has been largely undescribed, particularly in the context of other disorders. APA is a process that generates various transcript isoforms of the same gene affecting its mRNA translation, stability, localization, and subsequent function. Here we identified unique APAs expressed in rat brain over time-of-day, immediately following sleep deprivation, and the subsequent recovery period. From these data, we performed a secondary analysis of these sleep- or time-of-day associated PASs with recently described APA-linked human brain disorder susceptibility genes.
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Flores CC, Pasetto NA, Wang H, Dimitrov A, Davis JF, Jiang Z, Davis CJ, Gerstner JR. Identification of sleep and circadian alternative polyadenylation sites associated with APA-linked human brain disorders. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3867797. [PMID: 38313253 PMCID: PMC10836116 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3867797/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Sleep and circadian rhythm disruptions are comorbid features of many pathologies and can negatively influence numerous health conditions, including degenerative diseases, metabolic illnesses, cancer, and various neurological disorders. Genetic association studies linking sleep and circadian disturbances with disease susceptibility have mainly focused on changes in gene expression due to mutations, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Thus, associations between sleep and/or circadian rhythm and alternative polyadenylation (APA), particularly in the context of other health challenges, are largely undescribed. APA is a process that generates various transcript isoforms from the same gene, resulting in effects on mRNA translation, stability, localization, and subsequent function. Here, we have identified unique APAs in rat brain that exhibit time-of-day-dependent oscillations in expression as well as APAs that are altered by sleep deprivation and the subsequent recovery period. Genes affected by APA usage include Mapt/Tau, Ntrk2, Homer1A, Sin3band Sorl. Sorl1 has two APAs which cycle with a 24 h period, one additional APA cycles with a 12 h period and one more that is reduced during recovery sleep. Finally, we compared sleep- or circadian-associated APAs with recently described APA-linked brain disorder susceptibility genes and found 46 genes in common.
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