<p>A. AICD-Tg mice exhibit decreased working memory as measured by deficits in spontaneous alternations at older ages. At >18 months of age, AICD-Tg mice showed decreased spontaneous alternations (working memory) compared to age-matched wild-type animals. Lack of tau (Tau-/-) was able to protect AICD-Tg mice from such deficits in working memory. B. Normal exploratory behavior for all the genotypes measured in the Y-maze. n = 10–12 mice per group for behavioral experiments (A and B). C. AICD-Tg mice at more than 18 months of age showed neuronal loss as assessed by NeuN staining in the CA3 region. Arrows point to focal loss of neurons. Genetic ablation of tau (Tau-/-) protected against neurodegeneration in AICD-Tg mice. D. Quantification of NeuN-positive nuclei. n = 4 for all groups. *p<0.05, **p<0.01 one way ANOVA (Mean ± SEM). Scale bar = 50 μm. WT = wild-type.</p
