Frick K M, Baxter M G, Markowska A L, Olton D S, Price D L
Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
Neurobiol Aging. 1995 Mar-Apr;16(2):149-60. doi: 10.1016/0197-4580(94)00155-3.
Aged rats have spatial memory deficits relative to young rats. The extent of these deficits in intermediate-aged rats is not well established. The present study examined the pattern of age-related changes in spatial reference and working memory in four ages of Fischer-344 rats. Place discrimination (PD) in the Morris water maze measured spatial reference memory. Repeated acquisition (RA), a discrimination in which the escape platform location varied from session to session, measured spatial working memory. Fischer-344 rats, 4 months, 11 months, 17 months, and 24 months of age, were tested. Compared to 4-month-olds, 24-month-olds were significantly impaired on all six PD measures of performance, 17 months were significantly impaired on five PD measures, and 11 months were significantly impaired on only one PD measure. Only 24-month-olds had a significant working memory impairment in RA relative to 4 months. Reference and working memory measures were distinct as assessed by a principal components analysis. The results indicate a nonlinear age-related spatial memory decline in Fischer-344 rats from 4 to 24 months of age.
与年轻大鼠相比，老年大鼠存在空间记忆缺陷。中年大鼠这些缺陷的程度尚未明确。本研究考察了四个年龄段的Fischer-344大鼠空间参考记忆和工作记忆与年龄相关的变化模式。在莫里斯水迷宫中的位置辨别（PD）测量空间参考记忆。重复获得（RA），即逃生平台位置在各实验环节中变化的辨别任务，测量空间工作记忆。对4个月、11个月、17个月和24个月大的Fischer-344大鼠进行了测试。与4个月大的大鼠相比，24个月大的大鼠在所有六项PD性能指标上均显著受损，17个月大的大鼠在五项PD指标上显著受损，11个月大的大鼠仅在一项PD指标上显著受损。相对于4个月大的大鼠，只有24个月大的大鼠在RA中有显著的工作记忆损伤。通过主成分分析评估，参考记忆和工作记忆指标是不同的。结果表明，4至24个月大的Fischer-344大鼠存在与年龄相关的非线性空间记忆衰退。
