Reversal of learning deficits in a Tsc2+/- mouse model of tuberous sclerosis

Ehninger D, Han S, Shilyansky C, Zhou Y, Li W, Kwiatkowski DJ, Ramesh V, Silva AJ · 2008 · Nature medicine · Atlas ID EHN2008

What this study shows

Rapamycin reverses learning and memory deficits in a Tsc2+/- tuberous sclerosis model.

Abstract

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Tuberous sclerosis is a single-gene disorder caused by heterozygous mutations in the TSC1 (9q34) or TSC2 (16p13.3) gene and is frequently associated with mental retardation, autism and epilepsy. Even individuals with tuberous sclerosis and a normal intelligence quotient (approximately 50%) are commonly affected with specific neuropsychological problems, including long-term and working memory deficits. Here we report that mice with a heterozygous, inactivating mutation in the Tsc2 gene (Tsc2(+/-) mice) show deficits in learning and memory.

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At a glance

Evidence type	A Animal model Marked A because it is an animal intervention or observation study measuring an organismal outcome (model: Mouse (Tsc2+/-)); the code names the system studied -- animal work can be rigorous and still not be human data.
Study type	4 - Animal Study
Model system	Mouse (Tsc2+/-)
Journal	Nature medicine
Year	2008
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1038/nm1788 · PMID 18568033 · Free full text (PMC2664098)

Extracted findings

These fields were extracted from the paper with AI assistance and have not been checked against the source. Read them as a pointer into the paper, not as curated claims; where they disagree with the curated summary above, the curated summary stands.

Intervention	Rapamycin (in Tsc2+/- mice)
Target	mTORC1 / TSC2
Model	Mouse (Tsc2+/-)
Effect	mTOR inhibition reverses learning and memory deficits in a tuberous sclerosis mouse model

In the Atlas

Open questions that cite this study

Cited as supporting evidence for the open question Brain-penetrant mTOR inhibition clears aggregates in models, but human dosing has not been shown to reach the brain — and mTORC2 is needed for memory in mice.

Cite this paper

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Ehninger, D., Han, S., Shilyansky, C., Zhou, Y., Li, W., Kwiatkowski, D. J., Ramesh, V., & Silva, A. J. (2008). Reversal of learning deficits in a Tsc2+/- mouse model of tuberous sclerosis. Nature medicine. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1788

@article{EHN2008,
  author       = {Ehninger, D. and Han, S. and Shilyansky, C. and Zhou, Y. and Li, W. and Kwiatkowski, D. J. and Ramesh, V. and Silva, A. J.},
  title        = {{Reversal of learning deficits in a Tsc2+/- mouse model of tuberous sclerosis}},
  journal      = {Nature medicine},
  year         = {2008},
  doi          = {10.1038/nm1788},
  note         = {PMID: 18568033},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record EHN2008) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/EHN2008/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_EHN2008,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record EHN2008},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/EHN2008/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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