Preventive cognitive protection based on AAV9 overexpression of IGF1 in hippocampal astrocytes.

Astrocytes play key roles in the brain. When astrocyte support fails, neurological disorders follow, resulting in disrupted synaptic communication, neuronal degeneration, and cell death. We posit that astrocytes overexpressing neurotrophic factors, such as Insulin Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1), prevent the onset of neurodegeneration.

Investigating the Impact of Intracerebroventricular Streptozotocin on Female Rats with and without Ovaries: Implications for Alzheimer's Disease.

To contribute to research on female models of Alzheimer's disease (AD), our aim was to study the effect of intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) in female rats, and to evaluate a potential neuroprotective action of ovarian steroids against STZ. Female rats were either ovariectomized (OVX) or kept with ovaries (Sham) two weeks before ICV injections. Animals were injected with either vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid, aCSF) or STZ (3 mg/kg) and separated into four experimental groups: Sham + aCSF, Sham + STZ, OVX + aCSF and OVX + STZ.