title: Behavioral effects of basal forebrain cholinergic lesions in young adult and aging rats.
abstract: The interactive effects of age and cholinergic damage were assessed behaviorally in young and middle-aged rats. Rats were lesioned at either 3 or 17 months of age by injection of 192 IgG-saporin immunotoxin into the medial septum and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis, and they were then tested on a range of behavioral tasks: a nonmatching-to-position task in a T-maze, an object-recognition task, an object-location task, and an open-field activity test. Depending on the task used, only an age or a lesion effect was observed, but there was no Age X Lesion interaction. Middle-aged and young rats responded to the cholinergic lesions in the same manner. These results show that in the middle-aged rats in which cholinergic transmission was affected, additional injury to the system was not always accompanied by major cognitive dysfunctions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Intégrative et Adaptative, Université d'Aix-Marseille I, Marseille, France. paban@up.univ-mrs.fr
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paban
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chambon
authors.forename: Magali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaffard
authors.forename: Béatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Alescio-Lautier
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000633:toxicity; D020532:Basal Nucleus of Meynert / Q000293:injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D000922:Immunotoxins / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D054789:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1; D000076985:Saporins; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000293:injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: C085696:192 IgG-saporin; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000922:Immunotoxins; D054789:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D000076985:Saporins; D000109:Acetylcholine