Functional degradation of visual cortical cells in aged rats.
Functional degradation of mammalian visual cortex is associated with aging. It has been hypothesized that much of the decline might be mediated by a degradation of cortical inhibitory system during senescence. In the present work, we compared the properties of adaptation, onset latency and signal-to-noise ratio in primary visual cortex of young and old rats using extracellular single-unit techniques. The short-term synaptic plasticity of young and old rats was also studied using field potential recording techniques. We found significant increased adaptation, prolonged onset latency, lower signal-to-noise ratio and decreased short-term synaptic plasticity in aged rats. The results are in accordance with previously reported functional declines in old monkeys and old cats, indicating a universal mechanism of degradation in cortical function that accompanies old age in different mammalian species.
Wang
Hao
H
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, PR China.
Xie
Xiaoqiao
X
Li
Xiangrui
X
Chen
Bo
B
Zhou
Yifeng
Y
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D011930:Reaction Time; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*