[Methods to evaluate cognitive disorders in animal models].
BACKGROUND
The increasing prevalence of cognitive dysfunction and dementia associated, among others, to population aging in developed countries has grown a great interest in the study of the etiopathogenesis of cognitive deficit and the likely pharmacological targets which improve intellectual function or alter the neurodegeneration underlying these symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
An essential tool for that purpose is the use of animal models of human-related pathologies which clinically develop with cognitive impairment and dementia. In this review we will analyse the animal models of these disorders and, specially, the main tests that, by means of the observational evolution of the experimental animal, allow assessing its cognitive functions and its modification by experimental treatments that are wanted to investigate for its eventual introduction into clinics.
Navarrete
F
F
Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, España.
Pérez-Ortiz
J M
JM
Femenía
T
T
García-Gutiérrez
M S
MS
García-Payá
M E
ME
Leiva-Santana
C
C
Manzanares
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007858:Learning; D008568:Memory; D011581:Psychological Tests