An herbal prescription, S-113m, consisting of biota, ginseng and schizandra, improves learning performance in senescence accelerated mouse.

The effect of an herbal prescription, S-113m, consisting of biota, ginseng and schizandra, on learning and memory performance was studied in the senescence accelerated mouse (SAM). A solid diet containing 1% (w/w) S-113m was given to SAM from 1 month of age. A behavioral experiment, started 4 or 9 months later, revealed prominent learning impairment in SAMP8, a senescence accelerated-prone mouse. Chronic ingestion of S-113m improved the memory retention disorder of SAMP8 in a passive avoidance test and increased the conditioned avoidance rate in a lever-press test at the age of 10 months. The preparation also facilitated the memory retention deficit in the passive avoidance test in 10-month-old SAMR1, a senescent resistant substrain. These results raise the possibility that S-113m might be useful for treating physiological aging and age-related memory deficits in human.