Differential effects of age on tau protein expression in the rat brain following chronic nicotine administration in vivo

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. Its pathology is characterised by the presence of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles made up of abnormally phosphorylated forms of microtubule-associated protein tau and deposition of the insoluble β-amyloid protein derived from the enzymatic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein. Neuronal degeneration with impaired cholinergic transmission is also present, particularly in areas of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Several studies indicate that stimulation of central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by nicotine is effective in attenuating the cognitive deficits observed in AD. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic nicotine administration on tau expression in the cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus of young and old rat brain.