Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41485573›Full record

ArticleJournal of advanced research2026

Ursolic acid reduces Aβ-driven aggression via Gab1-mediated autophagy and dorsal hippocampal circuit modulation in Alzheimer's disease.

Guilin Pi, Lijuan Zhang, Huiyang Lei, Tongkai Zhong, Fuqiang Zhang, Yating Lu, Xiaoyuan Qiu, Yaxuan Qi, Yalan Dong, Rui Zhu and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of advanced research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Guilin PiDepartment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Lijuan ZhangDepartment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Huiyang LeiDepartment of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of Translational Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.
Tongkai ZhongDepartment of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Fuqiang ZhangDepartment of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Yating LuDepartment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Xiaoyuan QiuDepartment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Yaxuan QiDepartment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Yalan DongDepartment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Rui ZhuDepartment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Qian QinDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Avenue #1277, Wuhan 430022, China; Hubei Provincial Clinical Research Center for Precision Radiology & Interventional Medicine, Wuhan 430022, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, China.
Jing WangDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Avenue #1277, Wuhan 430022, China; Hubei Provincial Clinical Research Center for Precision Radiology & Interventional Medicine, Wuhan 430022, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, China.
Alexey SarapultsevInstitute of Immunology and Physiology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, 106 Pervomaiskaya Street, 620049 Ekaterinburg, Russia; Russian-Chinese Education and Research Center of System Pathology, South Ural State University, 76 Lenin Prospekt, 454080 Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Shanshan LuoInstitute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Xiang ChengDepartment of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, China.
Ying YangDepartment of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China. Electronic address: yingyang@hust.edu.cn.
Jian-Zhi WangDepartment of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China. Electronic address: wangjz@mail.hust.edu.cn.
Desheng HuDepartment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China. Electronic address: desheng.hu@hust.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAggression is one of the most debilitating neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD), posing significant challenges for both patients and caregivers. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear, and effective therapeutic strategies are lacking.

objectivesThis study aimed to investigate the neural circuit mechanisms underlying amyloid-beta (Aβ)-driven aggression in AD and explore the therapeutic potential of ursolic acid (UA) in alleviating this behavior.

methodsA combination of virus tracing, electrophysiological recording, in vivo Ca2 + recording, and a aggressive behavior test was utilized to investigate the neural circuit vulnerable to Aβ-driven aggression. optogenetic or chemogenetic manipulation was used to identify the regulation of the neural circuit on aggressive behavior. Proteomics and molecular targeting were employed to explore the underlying mechanisms of Aβ-driven aggression and evaluate UA's effects.

resultsWe identified that Aβ accumulation drove hyperexcitability of dorsal hippocampal CA3 (dCA3) neurons projecting to the dorsal lateral septum (dLS), thereby triggering aggressive behavior in the 5xFAD mouse model. Optogenetic activation of the dCA3-dLS circuit in wild-type mice induced aggression, whereas either optogenetic or chemogenetic inhibition of this projection alleviated aggression in 5xFAD animals. Proteomic profiling of dCA3 tissue identified Grb2-associated binding protein 1 (Gab1) as a key mediator upregulated in 5xFAD mice and normalized by ursolic acid (UA) treatment. UA reduced Aβ plaque burden, restored autophagic flux (increasing LC3B-II and decreasing p62), and suppressed dCA3-dLS circuit hyperactivity, resulting in durable attenuation of aggressive behavior. Viral knockdown of Gab1 in dCA3 mimicked UA's effects on autophagy, Aβ clearance, circuit excitability, and aggression, whereas Gab1 overexpression blocked UA's benefits.

conclusionTogether, these results define a novel Gab1-dependent autophagy-circuit mechanism for Aβ-induced aggression and establish UA as a promising candidate for alleviating neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD.

Indexed as

Adaptor Proteins, Signal TransducingAggressionAlzheimer DiseaseAmyloid beta-PeptidesAutophagyHippocampusTriterpenesAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalHumansMaleMiceMice, TransgenicNeuronsUrsolic AcidAdaptor Proteins, Signal TransducingAmyloid beta-PeptidesTriterpenesUrsolic AcidAggressionAlzheimer’s diseasedCA3–dLS circuitGab1Ursolic acid

Identifiers

PMID41485573
PMCPMC13539229

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.