The invention provides for transgenic mice whose genomes comprise a gene encoding human cyclooxygenase-2 under the control of a neuron-specific promoter. The transgenic mice of the instant invention express human cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA in neuronal cells of their hippocampi at increased levels relative to the level of human cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA expressed in their cerebral white matter. Moreover, neuronal cell cultures derived from the transgenic mice of the instant invention arc more susceptible to aggregated A.beta.25-35 peptide-mediated impairment of redox activity relative to those derived from mice non-transgenic for the human cyclooxygenase-2 gene. These transgenic animals and the neuronal cultures derived therefrom are useful iii elucidating the pathophysiological bases of neurodegenerative diseases and in improving the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.

A invenção fornece para os ratos transgenic cujos os genomes compreendem um gene que codifica cyclooxygenase-2 humano sob o controle de um promoter neurônio-específico. Os ratos transgenic da invenção instantânea expressam o mRNA cyclooxygenase-2 humano em pilhas neuronal de seus hippocampi em níveis aumentados relativo ao nível do mRNA cyclooxygenase-2 humano expressado em sua matéria branca cerebral. Além disso, as culturas de pilha neuronal derivaram-se dos ratos transgenic do arco instantâneo da invenção mais suscetível ao impairment peptide-mediado A.beta.25-35 agregado da atividade redox relativo àqueles derivados dos ratos non-transgenic para o gene cyclooxygenase-2 humano. Estes animais transgenic e as culturas neuronal derivadas therefrom são iii útil que elucidating as bases pathophysiological de doenças neurodegenerative e em melhorar o diagnóstico e tratamento destes disorders.