Rapid forgetting in aged rats.
The retention performance of young (3-6 months) and aged (24-26 months) Sprague-Dawley rats was evaluated on three separate experimental paradigms. The three paradigms were sequenced so that the first, spontaneous alternation, tested for retention performance of short-term memory; the second, step-down inhibitory (passive) avoidance, tested for long-term memory; while the third, a shock-motivated spatial reversal problem, tested for both short- and long-term memory. The results suggest that aged rats experience significantly more rapid forgetting in both short- and long-term memory systems.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011939:Mental Recall; D009949:Orientation; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D012193:Reversal Learning