Age-induced cognitive alterations in OF1 mice.
Female OF1 mice aged 17-18 months were compared with female OF1 mice aged 7-11 weeks for locomotor activity, pain sensitivity, and cognitive performance using the Morris water maze, passive and active avoidance, and the elevated plus-maze learning protocol. Performance of old mice was impaired compared to those of young mice for both locomotor activity, pain sensitivity, and the four cognitive tests including the elevated plus-maze not previously used in studies on aging. Using complementary experiments and a detailed analysis of the results, we have shown that the reduction of learning and memory do not result from a decline of sensory and motor capacities. We conclude that female OF1 mice aged 17-18 months show true cognitive deficits.
Carrié
I
I
INSERM U.26, Unité de Neuro-Pharmaco-Nutrition, Hôpital Fernand Widal, Paris, France. icarrie@caramail.com
Debray
M
M
Bourre
J M
JM
Francès
H
H
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D011603:Psychophysiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology