Rodent models of Alzheimer's disease: Critical analysis of current hypotheses and pathways for future research

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was first described over a century ago. However, the mechanisms underlying the disease are not well understood to this day. This has negatively impacted our ability to create animal models to design and test targeted reliable treatments for the disease. Amyloid β plaque accumulation, aggregation of neurofibrillary tangles, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and, of course, cognitive decline, are few of the many observed pathological features associated with AD. However, there is a concern that the animal models of AD that are based on these frameworks may not be accurately representing AD in people. As such, the results from preclinical trials have not historically translated well to the clinic. In this article, we review the current major hypotheses to describe AD; we outline the major strengths and weaknesses of the commonly used rodent models used to replicate features of these hypotheses; and we provide a strategy for the field for future research.