McAfoose J, Koerner H, Baune B T
Psychiatry and Psychiatric Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Queensland, Townsville 4811, Australia.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009 May;34(4):615-9. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.10.006. Epub 2008 Nov 22.
Growing evidence suggests that 'pro-inflammatory' cytokines such as TNF play a role in cognitive processes and in aging. To test the effects of TNF on cognitive function throughout aging, we used transgenic mice which were TNF deficient. We then tested these mice along with wild-type mice, at 3, 6 and 12 months of age, using the Barnes maze. Wild-type controls showed better memory than TNF knock-out mice at 3 months of age, but not at 6 and 12 months of age. Results of our experiment show that endogenous TNF plays an important role in cognitive processes throughout aging processes. The implications of these findings are far-reaching and include a possible role for cytokines in the molecular and cellular mechanisms subserving age-related changes in learning, memory and cognition.
越来越多的证据表明，诸如肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）等“促炎”细胞因子在认知过程和衰老过程中发挥作用。为了测试TNF在整个衰老过程中对认知功能的影响，我们使用了缺乏TNF的转基因小鼠。然后，我们在3、6和12月龄时，使用巴恩斯迷宫对这些小鼠以及野生型小鼠进行了测试。野生型对照组在3月龄时比TNF基因敲除小鼠表现出更好的记忆力，但在6和12月龄时则不然。我们的实验结果表明，内源性TNF在整个衰老过程的认知过程中发挥着重要作用。这些发现的影响深远，包括细胞因子在支持学习、记忆和认知方面与年龄相关变化的分子和细胞机制中可能发挥的作用。
