| First Author | Krieger M | Year | 2012 |
| Journal | Sci Rep | Volume | 2 |
| Pages | 697 | PubMed ID | 23019518 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:206112 | Mgi Id | MGI:5547900 |
| Doi | 10.1038/srep00697 | Citation | Krieger M, et al. (2012) The hematopoietic cytokine granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor is important for cognitive functions. Sci Rep 2:697 |
| abstractText | We recently reported expression of hematopoietic growth factor GM-CSF and its receptor (GM-CSFR) in CNS neurons. Here we evaluated this system in learning and memory formation using GM-CSF deficient mice. In complementation, GM-CSF signalling was manipulated specifically in adult murine hippocampus by adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated GM-CSFR alpha overexpression or knock-down. GM-CSF ablation caused various hippocampus and amygdala-dependent deficits in spatial and fear memory while rendering intact basic parameters like motor function, inherent anxiety, and pain threshold levels. Corroborating these data, spatial memory of AAV-injected mice was positively correlated with GM-CSFRalpha expression levels. Hippocampal neurons of knock-out mice showed markedly pruned dendritic trees, reduced spine densities, and lower percentages of mature spines. Despite such morphological alterations, long-term potentiation (LTP) was unimpaired in the knock-out hippocampus. Collectively, these results suggest that GM-CSF signalling plays a major role in structural plasticity relevant to learning and memory. |
