Abstract:
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accounts for 70% of dementia, but there is no known cure for
the disorder so many non-drug therapeutic treatments include changes in diet and
maintaining a healthier lifestyle (Kametani & Hasegawa, 2018). There have been many
behavioral studies examining the effect on zinc supplementation into AD mice models.
However, while there is some contradicting evidence, overall, the evidence suggests that
zinc supplementation results in a negative effect on behavior which may be a result of the
diet causing a copper deficiency, another trace metal that plays a crucial role in the
development of AD. This thesis examined the role of zinc and zinc and copper
supplementation on 3.5-month dual transgenic (APP/h-tau) AD mice models to
investigate if the addition of copper alleviated the negative behavioral effect. Results
found that zinc and copper supplementation still had an overall negative effect compared
to wildtype (WT) mice in all four tests: Morris water maze, nesting, burrowing, and
circadian activities, as well as no overall metal supplementation effect. Additionally, it
was also found that female mice were more anxious than males were and performed
worse at the activities of daily living (ADL) tests, with females on the metal supplements
displaying the worst behaviors of anxiety. These findings suggest metal supplementation
is not an acceptable treatment for AD patients.
