Campbell B A, Richardson R
Department of Psychology, Princeton University, New Jersey 08544.
Exp Gerontol. 1988;23(4-5):417-27. doi: 10.1016/0531-5565(88)90047-2.
Two sets of experiments describing the effects of chronic undernutrition on sensory-motor function and susceptibility to environmental stressors are described. In the first, Fischer 344 rats between 10 and 12 months of age were placed on an every-other-day feeding regimen. Behavioral tests designed to assess sensory function (auditory and visual thresholds), somato-motor competence (hang time from a horizontal wire, balance on a narrow beam, descent of a wire mesh pole), and sensory-motor integrity (auditory startle) were then conducted every 3 to 6 months. Chronic undernutrition significantly increased life span and increased somato-motor competence but did not affect sensory function or sensory-motor integrity. In the second set of experiments both acute and chronic dietary restriction impaired the ability of young adult Sprague-Dawley rats to effectively thermoregulate in response to a cold environment. Body temperature dropped more rapidly and recovered at a slower rate in the dietarily restricted animals. Fischer 344 rats maintained on a restricted diet for 16 months were similarly impaired. The latter findings suggest that techniques for extending life span based on laboratory animal models may have little relevance to either animals or humans living in their natural habitats where a wide variety of environmental stressors are encountered.
本文描述了两组关于慢性营养不良对感觉运动功能及对环境应激源易感性影响的实验。在第一组实验中，将10至12月龄的Fischer 344大鼠采用隔日喂食方案。然后每3至6个月进行旨在评估感觉功能（听觉和视觉阈值）、躯体运动能力（在水平线上的悬挂时间、在窄梁上的平衡能力、沿金属丝网杆下降）以及感觉运动完整性（听觉惊吓反应）的行为测试。慢性营养不良显著延长了寿命并提高了躯体运动能力，但未影响感觉功能或感觉运动完整性。在第二组实验中，急性和慢性饮食限制均损害了成年Sprague-Dawley大鼠在寒冷环境中有效调节体温的能力。饮食受限动物的体温下降更快且恢复速度更慢。持续16个月限制饮食的Fischer 344大鼠也出现了类似损害。后一项研究结果表明，基于实验动物模型的延长寿命技术可能与生活在自然栖息地、面临各种环境应激源的动物或人类几乎无关。
