Loss of motor coordination in an aging mouse model

With age, there is an increase in motor deficits that leads to an increased incidence of slips and falls. As the elderly population continues to grow, there is a need for aging models and research that focus on behavioral deficits that occur with normal, non-diseased aging. The present study was designed to examine the appropriateness of C57Bl/6 male mice as aging animal models using the challenging beam and cylinder tests to measure motor coordination and spontaneous activity, respectively. Using young (2-4 mo), middle-aged (10-12 mo), and aged (22-24 mo) mice, we observed that aged C57Bl/6 male mice make more errors on the challenging beam task and take fewer hind limb steps as compared to young and middle-aged mice. Body weight and food intake were also measured to determine if these parameters were confounding factors in the interpretation of the behavioral data. Increases in body weight and food consumption were not observed in the oldest group that made the most errors. Together these data indicate that aged C57BL/6 mice display age-related motor deficits similar to those seen in humans and are an appropriate model of motor deficits that occur with age.