The effect of age on the response of the rat brains to continuous beta-amyloid infusion.
Young (3 months old) and aging (18-21 months old) rats were infused intracerebroventricularly with beta-amyloid (1-40; 4.2 nmol) for 14 days. In both age groups, beta-amyloid led to deficits in water-maze and decreased choline acetyltransferase activity and somatostatin levels. Cortical substance P levels also decreased whereas neuropeptide Y levels remained unaltered. There were no significant age dependent differences among these neurochemicals except a decrease in hippocampal neuropeptide Y levels in the aging group. It is concluded that young and aging rat brains respond similarly to beta-amyloid infusion.
Nag
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Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 5 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, PR China
Tang
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F
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D009498:Neurotoxins; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase