Gallagher M, Rapp P R
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599, USA.
Annu Rev Psychol. 1997;48:339-70. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.48.1.339.
This review addresses the importance of animal models for understanding the effects of normal aging on the brain and cognitive functions. First, studies of laboratory animals can help to distinguish between healthy aging and pathological conditions that may contribute to cognitive decline late in life. Second, research on individual differences in aging, a theme of interest in studies of elderly human beings, can be advanced by the experimental control afforded in the use of animal models. The review offers a neuropsychological framework to compare the effects of aging in human beings, monkeys, and rodents. We consider aging in relation to the role of the medial temporal lobe in memory, the information processing functions of the prefrontal cortex in the strategic use of memory, and the regulation of attention by distributed neural circuitry. We also provide an overview of the neurobiological effects of aging that may account for alterations in psychological functions.
本综述阐述了动物模型对于理解正常衰老对大脑及认知功能影响的重要性。首先，对实验动物的研究有助于区分健康衰老与可能导致晚年认知衰退的病理状况。其次，关于衰老个体差异的研究（这是老年人类研究中的一个有趣主题），可以通过使用动物模型所提供的实验控制来推进。该综述提供了一个神经心理学框架，用于比较人类、猴子和啮齿动物衰老的影响。我们考虑衰老与内侧颞叶在记忆中的作用、前额叶皮质在策略性记忆使用中的信息处理功能以及分布式神经回路对注意力的调节之间的关系。我们还概述了可能导致心理功能改变的衰老的神经生物学效应。
