Recent publication: Alzheimer’s disease mouse model shows deficit in nesting behavior

Why is nest building relevant to Alzheimer’s disease you might ask? Deterioration in the ability to perform “Activities of daily living” (ADL) is an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Examples of ADL are dressing or preparing meals, which are complex, multi-step activities that require a variety of cognitive functions including memory. Analogously, building a nest is a complex, multi-step activity for a mouse. In a recent publication by our collaborators and us, we show that a commonly used Alzheimer mouse model (5xFAD) shows a strong deficit in the capability to build a nest (see the figure below). We use a published standardized protocol to assess nest building behavior and typically perform this test in combination with conventional tests such as the Morris Water Maze and our automated behavioral screening system to measure cognitive performance. If you are interested in these tests, please contact us.