Changes of brain activity in the aged SAMP mouse

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Aging Research
• Gerontology

Background:

• Senescence-accelerated prone mice (SAMP8) model accelerated aging.
• Understanding brain aging is crucial for age-related disease research.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate age-related functional and molecular changes in the central nervous system (CNS) of SAMP8 mice.
• Examine the hippocampus and somatosensory cortex in 3- and 10-month-old SAMP8 mice.

Main Methods:

• Western Blotting for apoptosis indicator BAD.
• TUNEL experiments to detect DNA fragmentation.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with tail stimulus.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant increase in apoptosis indicators (BAD, TUNEL).
• fMRI revealed an increased area of Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) images in 10-month-old SAMP8 mice compared to 3-month-old mice.
• Age-related increase in activated brain area observed.

Conclusions:

• Aging in SAMP8 mice does not involve significant neuronal death.
• Functional brain activation increases with age in SAMP8 mice, indicating altered neural activity patterns.