Effects of aging on the hippocampal formation in a naturally occurring animal model of mild cognitive impairment.
Vertical integration is being used to great advantage in neurobiological research on the basis of age-related cognitive decline. Such research bridges analysis between the molecular and cellular levels and the outcome of impaired psychological functions. Current use of animals models within this paradigm has defined mild cognitive impairment in a subpopulation of outbred aged Long-Evans rats by assessment of hippocampal-dependent spatial cognition. Aged rats with cognitive impairment exhibited no loss of neurons in the hippocampus. Current research is focused on the functional alterations in neurons by methods which assess transcriptional mechanisms and signaling pathways.
Gallagher
Michela
M
Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 102 Ames Hall, 3400 North Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. michela@jhu.edu
Bizon
Jennifer L
JL
Hoyt
Eileen C
EC
Helm
Katherine A
KA
Lund
Pauline K
PK
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D007858:Learning; D008568:Memory; D023421:Models, Animal; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D011581:Psychological Tests; D051381:Rats