Transgenic Technologies and their Application to the Study of Senile Dementia

The ability to manipulate the mammalian genome through transgenic techniques is a powerful tool for behavioral neuroscientists. However, the interpretation of the behavioral consequences of such manipulations is not uncomplicated. Here demonstrate both the utility and the pitfalls inherent in these techniques through a discussion of recent advances in the elucidation of senile dementia. We show that the interpretation of the results from such studies requires the application of multiple behavioral paradigms, the data from which must be viewed holistically in order to interpret the effects of the transgenic manipulation. We also highlight the difficulties inherent in manipulating single genes and show that in order to comprehensively model complex brain-related phenomena (e.g., senile dementia), multiple (typically interactive) genetic changes are often required.