Cognitive aging: recapturing the excitation of youth?
The electrical excitability of cortical neurons changes significantly during normal ageing. A recent study found that targeted deletion of a gene encoding a potassium channel-modifier subunit can restore to aged mice, not only normal neuronal firing, but also normal learning and synaptic plasticity.
Chapman
Paul F
PF
Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Ltd., The Neuroscience Research Centre, Terlings Park, Harlow, Essex CM20 2QR, UK.
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D051668:Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channels; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated / Q000378:metabolism*
D051668:Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channels; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated