Age-related changes in regional cerebral blood flow and behavior in Sprague-Dawley rats

Studies of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were carried out in male, Sprague-Dawley rats at ages 6, 12 and 24 months. These animals were characterized behaviorally for their ability to learn a complex 14-choice sequential T-maze (i.e., Stone maze) for food reward. Old animals (i.e., 24 month) demonstrated a clear and consistent impairment in maze performance which correlated significantly with decreased cortical blood flow. The results are discussed in relation to cerebral blood flow studies in aging humans and as they relate to the use of rats, the Sprague-Dawley strain in particular, to study brain aging.