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Senescence related changes in brain diazepam binding and motor performance.
Substance and Alcohol Actions/Misuse
|January 1, 1982
Summary
Aging mice exhibit impaired motor skills and coordination. Neurochemical analysis reveals altered benzodiazepine receptor binding in senescent brains, suggesting a link between brain changes and physical decline.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Aging is associated with declines in cognitive and motor functions.
- The endogenous benzodiazepine system plays a role in modulating neuronal activity and behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of senescence on motor performance and limb coordination in mice.
- To examine alterations in the endogenous benzodiazepine system in aged mice.
Main Methods:
- Assessed locomotor activity and motor performance requiring limb coordination in senescent mice.
- Quantified the binding of 3H-diazepam to crude synaptosomal fractions from the cerebral cortex of senescent and young mice.
Main Results:
- Senescent mice displayed reduced habituation in locomotor activity and deficits in limb coordination.
- A significant increase in the binding maximum (Bmax) of 3H-diazepam was observed in aged mice.
- No significant change in the apparent dissociation constant (Kd) of benzodiazepine receptors was detected.
Conclusions:
- Senescence is linked to neurochemical alterations in the endogenous benzodiazepine system, characterized by increased receptor sites.
- These neurochemical changes may contribute to the observed physiological deficits in motor performance and limb coordination in aging mice.