Basal and hypercapnia-altered cerebrovascular perfusion predict mild cognitive impairment in aging rodents.

ABSTRACT: With increasing age, a subset of otherwise healthy individuals undergoes impairments in learning and memory that have been termed mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The enhanced neuronal activity associated with learning and memory requires increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) to specific brain regions. However, the interactions between cerebral blood flow and MCI remain unclear. In this study, we address whether baseline or hypercapnia-induced (increased blood CO(2) levels) changes in CBF are modified with age, and whether these measures are predictive of cognitive status in rodents. Adult and aged rats were evaluated using a hippocampally-dependent task in a water maze. Aged rats were classified as memory-impaired or memory-intact based on performance comparisons with adult rats. Cerebral b

SUBMITTER: Mitschelen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2784020 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature