Life Span Analysis of Brain Development, Gene Expression and Behavioral Phenotypes in the Ts1Cje, Ts65Dn and Dp16 Mouse Models of Down Syndrome

Down syndrome (DS), a genetic condition leading to intellectual disability, is characterized by triplication of human chromosome 21. Neuropathological hallmarks of DS include abnormal central nervous system development that manifests during gestation and extends throughout life. As a result, newborns and adults with DS exhibit cognitive and motor deficits and fail to meet typical developmental and lack independent life skills. A critical outstanding question is how DS-specific prenatal and postnatal phenotypes are recapitulated in different mouse models. To begin answering this question, we developed a life span approach to directly compare differences in embryonic brain development, cellularity, gene expression, neonatal and adult behavior behavior in three cytogenetically distinct mouse models of DSTs1Cje, Ts65Dn and Dp16/1Yey (Dp16).

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