Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of aging on the performance of specific memory-related tasks in rats as well as to determine the levels of several nerve growth factor (NGF)-related proteins in relevant brain regions. The results indicated age-related impairments in spatial learning in a water maze task as well as deficits in recognition memory in a Spontaneous Novel Object Recognition task. In the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, aged rats (compared to young controls) had elevated levels of the proneurotrophin, proNGF (+1.8-1.9 fold), p75 NTR receptors (+1.6-1.8 fold) and sortilin (+1.8-2.1 fold), and decreased levels of mature NGF (-36 to 44%), and phospho-TrkA receptors (-45 to 49%). The results of this study support the argument that NGF signaling is altered in the aging brain, and that such alterations may contribute to an age-related decline in cognitive function. These results may also help to identify specific components of the NGF-signaling pathway that could serve as targets for novel drug discovery and development for age-related disorders of cognition (e.g., Alzheimer's disease).
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 149-157 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Physiology and Behavior |
| Volume | 102 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 1 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Aging
- Alzheimer's disease
- Cognition
- Memory
- NGF
- Neurotrophin
- ProNGF
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Behavioral Neuroscience