Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 18, 2025

Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology
Published on: March 23, 2011
Hyperexcitability in Aging Is Lost in Alzheimer's: What Is All the Excitement About?
Colin T Lockwood1, Charles J Duffy1
1Departments of Neurology and Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester 14642, NY, USA.
Abstract:
Neuronal hyperexcitability has emerged as a potential biomarker of late-onset early-stage Alzheimer's disease (LEAD). We hypothesize that the aging-related posterior cortical hyperexcitability anticipates the loss of excitability with the emergence of impairment in LEAD. To test this hypothesis, we compared the behavioral and neurophysiological responses of young and older (ON) normal adults, and LEAD patients during a visuospatial attentional control task. ONs show frontal cortical signal incoherence and posterior cortical hyper-responsiveness with preserved attentional control. LEADs lose the posterior hyper-responsiveness and fail in the attentional task. Our findings suggest that signal incoherence and cortical hyper-responsiveness in aging may contribute to the development of functional impairment in LEAD.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ...
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Long-term Depression
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over...

