Investigation of Age-Related Cognitive Decline Using Mice as a Model System: Behavioral Correlates

Abstract

With recent advances in molecular genetics, mouse models have been generated for a number of disease states. Recently, the authors and others have begun to examine normal age-related cognitive decline using mice as a model system. In this article, and the companion article that follows, the authors present data intended to better parameterize the aging phenotype in mice and examine the possible underlying neuronal mechanisms with special emphasis on age-related changes in calcium homeostasis. Young (4-6-month-old) and aged (22-24-month-old) C57BL/6 mice were analyzed in terms of their spatial learning abilities in the hidden platform version of the Morris water maze and the delay win-shift version of the Olton radial arm maze. Although aged mice exhibited cognitive impairments in both behavioral tasks used, the extent of impairment differed between the two tasks, which might prove to be advantageous under certain experimental settings. Like in other areas of biomedical research, mice have become an invaluable research tool in the investigation of learning and memory. It is expected that similar benefits can be realized by developing mouse models for age-related cognitive decline.