Fig. 2: CAPZA2 gene defects lead to cognitive deficits and multiple abnormal behaviors.
From: Deciphering the role of CAPZA2 in neurodevelopmental disorders: insights from mouse models
A Representative locomotor trajectories and anxiety-like behaviors in WT mice and CAPZA2+/− mice, expressed as distance of movements in the outer region. B Shortened residence time in the open arm of the EPM in CAPZA2+/− mice exhibits behavioral anxiety. C The RRT showed that CAPZA2+/− mice had a reduced residence time on the rotarod indicating a malfunctioning balance. D–G CAPZA2+/− mice showed reduced spatial memory capacity in the MWM, as evidenced by a prolonged latency to reach the platform during training (D), a prolonged latency to find the target location during testing (K), a reduced number of traversals through the target location (F), and a shortened search time in the target quadrant (G). H Representative trajectories and summary plots showing time spent sniffing new and old objects, with significant differences in cognitive indices between CAPZA2+/− and WT mice. I CAPZA2+/− mice had significantly lower rates of spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze, but there was no difference in the total number of arms they traversed. Representative trajectories and summary plots (J) showing time spent sniffing unfamiliar mice and empty cages during the social interaction phase (K) and time spent sniffing different unfamiliar mice during the social preference phase (L). n = 12 (WT/Het, 6 males and 6 females). M Locomotor trajectories and movement distance in the outer zone of WT mice and CAPZA2c.G776T/+ mice. N CAPZA2c.G776T/+ mice have a shortened dwell time in the open arm indicating behavioral anxiety. O The RRT showed that CAPZA2c.G776T/+ mice had a reduced residence time on the rotarod indicating a malfunctioning balance. P Latency to find the hidden platform during the training session of the MWM. CAPZA2c.G776T/+ mice differed significantly from WT mice. CAPZA2c.G776T/+ mice showed reduced spatial memory capacity during the test phase, as evidenced by elevated latency time to find the target location during the test period (Q), a lower number of traversals through the target location (R), and a lower search time in the target quadrant (S). T Representative trajectories and summary plots showing time spent sniffing new and old objects, with significant differences in cognitive indices between CAPZA2c.G776T/+ and WT mice. U CAPZA2c.G776T/+ mice had significantly lower rates of spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze, but there was no difference in the total number of arms they traversed. Representative trajectories (V) and summary plots showing time spent sniffing unfamiliar mice and empty cages during the social interaction phase (W) and time spent sniffing different unfamiliar mice during the social preference phase (X). n = 10 (WT/MUT, 5 males and 5 females). Two-way ANOVA and unpaired t test were performed for statistical analysis. The data represented as mean ± S.E.M; n.s. not significant. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.
