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Muscimol inactivation of dorsal striatum in young and aged male rats does not affect paired associates learning performance.
- Source :
-
Behavioral neuroscience [Behav Neurosci] 2023 Dec; Vol. 137 (6), pp. 356-363. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Jun 15. - Publication Year :
- 2023
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Abstract
- Improving cognitive health for older adults requires understanding the neurobiology of age-related cognitive decline and the mechanisms underlying preserved cognition in old age. During spatial learning tasks, aged humans and rodents shift navigation preferences in favor of a stimulus-response learning strategy. This has been hypothesized to result from competitive interactions of the caudate nucleus/dorsal striatum (DS) memory system with the hippocampus (HPC)-dependent spatial/allocentric memory system. In support of this hypothesis, a recent study reported that inactivation of the DS in aged rodents rescued HPC-dependent spatial learning on a T-maze (Gardner, Gold, & Korol, 2020). Currently, it is unclear whether a shift from HPC-dependent to DS-dependent behavior also contributes to age-related cognitive decline outside of spatial learning and memory. To test the hypothesis that inactivation of the DS can restore age-related cognitive function outside of spatial behavior, the present study bilaterally inactivated the DS of young ( n = 8) and aged ( n = 7) rats during visuospatial paired associates learning (PAL). This study found that inactivation of the DS did not alter PAL performance in young or aged rats, but did alter a positive control, DS-dependent spatial navigation task. This observation suggests that elevated DS activity does not play a role in the decline of HPC-dependent PAL performance in aged male rats. Given the persistent tendencies of aged rodents toward DS-dependent learning, it will be worthwhile to explore further the coordination dynamics between the HPC and DS that may contribute to age-related cognitive decline. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1939-0084
- Volume :
- 137
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Behavioral neuroscience
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 37326524
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1037/bne0000561