DERANGEMENT IN STRESS-RESPONSE OF APOLIPOPROTEIN E-DEFICIENT MICE

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is associated with familial and sporadic Alzhe imer's disease (AD). Stress has been identified as a putative risk fac tor of AD. Thus, in the present study we examined the susceptibility o f apoE-deficient mice to stress. The results obtained revealed that th e elevation of corticosterone levels in apoE-deficient mice following restraint stress is markedly lower than in controls, and that these mi ce differ in their behavioral pain response to noxious stimuli in both stress and non-stress conditions, These findings suggest an interplay between apoE and the response to stressful stimuli and provide a mode l for elucidating the relationship between apoE and susceptibility to stress.