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Project Title: The Effect of Cholesterol Esterification Inhibition on Spatial Coding in an Alzheimer’s Mouse Model
Summary: This research will focus on how the inhibition of cholesterol esterification affects spatial coding in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sterol O-acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1) is an enzyme which can convert cholesterol to cholesterol esters, so we plan to start the research by studying AD model mice with the germline SOAT1 gene knockout. Furthermore, we will specifically knockout the SOAT1 gene in microglia, to explore the role of microglial SOAT1 in the buildup of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques in the brains of AD mice. With the comparation between the results of germline SOAT1 knockout and the result of conditional SOAT1 knockout in microglia, we can understand the potential effect that SOAT1 in microglial cells have on the impairment of spatial coding in AD model.
By conducting this investigation, we hope to gain a better understanding of how cholesterol esterification affects the progression of Alzheimer's disease, and how this effect reflects in spatial memory in mouse models. This knowledge could have the potential to lead to a new therapeutic approach in the future.
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