title: Sex, age, and training modulate spatial memory in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).
abstract: The authors tested 90 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) on a task of spatial memory, the spatial Delayed Recognition Span Test. The results showed that performance declined significantly with age, males had greater scores than females, and the rate of apparent decline with age was greater in males than in females. Both working and reference memory declined with age, but only working memory showed sex differences. The authors compared these data with that of 22 monkeys who were trained on a simpler version of the task before formal testing. Training had no effect on males but dramatically improved working memory in young females. The results confirm a male advantage in spatial working memory at a young age and confirm a greater decline with age in males than in females. It is important to note that prior training completely reverses the deficits of young females.
authors.affiliation: Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322 USA. alacreu@rmy.emory.edu
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lacreuse
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Douglas L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Rosene
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Killiany
authors.forename: Mark B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.forename: Tara L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Lakshmi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chennareddi
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Herndon
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007858:Learning; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D012737:Sex Factors; D013028:Space Perception; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis