Skip to main content
. 2017 Apr 4;140(5):1220–1230. doi: 10.1093/brain/awx052

Figure 1.

Figure 1

RN2N treatment in combination with SUS reduces anxiety-like behaviour in pR5 tau transgenic mice. (A) Schematic of ultrasound treatment using a transducer in scanning (SUS) mode in order to achieve microbubble-assisted opening of the blood–brain barrier. (B) Female pR5 mice at 4.5 months of age were randomly assigned to one of four groups: pR5, pR5 + SUS, pR5 + RN2N and pR5 + RN2N + SUS and treated as indicated (X) once a week for 4 weeks. A group of wild-type (WT) littermate controls did not undergo any treatment. Upon treatment completion, mice were analysed on the elevated plus maze (EPM), and then sacrificed. (C) The elevated plus maze is an elevated cross-shaped apparatus with a central square and 15 cm long × 5 cm wide closed arms with a 15 cm wall and open arms with unprotected edges. (D) The mean positional heat map within the elevated plus maze for each treatment group. (E) pR5 mice (n = 6) spend significantly less time in the open arms compared to wild-type mice (n = 7) (****P < 0.0001). No difference was observed in the pR5 + SUS group (n = 6) compared to the pR5 mice. However, mice in the pR5 + RN2N group (n = 6) and those in the pR5 + RN2N + SUS group (n = 5) spent significantly more time in the open arms than pR5 mice (*P = 0.03 and ***P = 0.0002, respectively), indicating a reduction in anxiety-like behaviour (mean ± SEM; one-way ANOVA with Dunnett’s multiple comparison test).