INVESTIGATING MOTOR LEARNING IN A LRRK2 MOUSE MODEL OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Abstract

While most cases of Parkinson’s disease are idiopathic, meaning of unknown origin, in 10% of cases, a genetic link has been identified. Of these, the most common is the G2019S mutation of the leucine‐rich repeating kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene. Investigation into this mutation could prove useful not only for those with LRRK2 Parkinson’s, but for idiopathic Parkinson’s as well. Genetic mouse models of this mutation are important for translational research, but despite the increasingly large number of studies on these animals, few have identified a reliable phenotype. In this study, we measured the average latency to fall during a rotarod‐based motor‐learning task conducted twice a week for two weeks with transgenic (Tg) and non‐transgenic (NTg) mice 6–8 months old. During the second week, half the animals were given a LRRK2 inhibitor, MLi‐2. Although we detected no effect of the drug, results have been mixed for overall motor performance with a trend towards LRRK2 Tg animals performing worse on the task. In this study, we examine whether LRRK2 Tg mice perform similarly to NTg mice for within‐day learning, between‐day learning, and overall latency to fall measures.Support or Funding InformationFunding from Michael J. Fox Foundation.