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Within-subject behavioral analysis of recent memory in aging mice.
1Department of Pharmacology, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699, USA.
Behavioural Pharmacology
|August 1, 1992
Summary
This study shows that aging mice have more difficulty learning and remembering tasks. The T-maze delayed reversal paradigm effectively assesses recent memory impairment in aging mice.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Aging is associated with cognitive decline, particularly in recent memory.
- Assessing recent memory impairment in aging animal models is crucial for understanding cognitive aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of a T-maze, delayed reversal paradigm for assessing recent memory impairment in aging C57BL/6NNia mice.
- To investigate age-related differences in learning acquisition and memory retention using this paradigm.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments utilized a T-maze delayed reversal paradigm with mice aged 7, 10, 15, and 27 months.
- Acquisition of a learning set and retention performance after varying delays were assessed cross-sectionally and longitudinally.
Main Results:
- Older mice were slower to acquire the learning set and reversal strategy compared to younger mice.
- Memory decay for goal arm discrimination increased with age, while avoidance response decay remained consistent.
- Age-related deficits in acquisition and recent memory were independent.
Conclusions:
- The T-maze delayed reversal paradigm is a valuable tool for evaluating recent memory impairment in aging mice.
- This paradigm can aid in analyzing and evaluating interventions for age-related cognitive impairment.