Effects of environmental enrichment on spatial memory and neurochemistry in middle-aged mice. Learn Mem 2003;10(3):187-98
Date
05/30/2003Pubmed ID
12773583Pubmed Central ID
PMC202309DOI
10.1101/lm.50703Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0037642406 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 137 CitationsAbstract
The present study compared the effects of environmental enrichment on spatial memory, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) activity, and synaptophysin levels in middle-aged male and female mice. Prior to testing, a subset of 18-month-old male and female C57BL/6 mice was housed with two to three toys and a running wheel in the home cage for up to 29 d. Adult mice (7 mo) of both sexes and the remaining middle-aged mice were group (social) housed, but not exposed to enriching objects. After the enrichment period, all mice were tested in a 1-day version of the Morris water maze, in which both spatial and nonspatial memory were assessed. Immediately after testing, the hippocampus and frontoparietal cortex were dissected, and GAD activity and synaptophysin levels were measured. Environmental enrichment reduced the age-related impairment in spatial acquisition and retention; relative to adult social controls, middle-aged enriched mice were unimpaired, whereas middle-aged social controls were impaired. This reduction was similar in middle-aged males and females. Enrichment did not affect cued memory in either sex. Although hippocampal GAD activity was increased by enrichment in males, all other neurochemical measurements were unaffected by enrichment or aging in either sex. These data suggest that environmental enrichment initiated at middle age can reduce age-related impairments in spatial memory in males and females, although the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of this effect remain unknown.
Author List
Frick KM, Stearns NA, Pan JY, Berger-Sweeney JAuthor
Karyn Frick BA,MA,PhD Professor in the Psychology department at University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgingAnimals
Discrimination Learning
Environment
Female
Frontal Lobe
Glutamate Decarboxylase
Hippocampus
Housing, Animal
Male
Maze Learning
Memory Disorders
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Parietal Lobe
Sex Distribution
Spatial Behavior
Synaptophysin
