Age-related deficits in a forebrain-dependent task, trace-eyeblink conditioning.

ABSTRACT: Trace-eyeblink conditioning is a forebrain-dependent learning paradigm that has assisted in our understanding of age-related hippocampal neuronal plasticity; however, the hippocampus is not believed to be the permanent site for most long-term-memory storage. Studies in adult subjects have suggested the neocortex as one such site. Whisker plucking studies have further suggested that the ability for plasticity in the neocortex declines with age. Mice were trained in trace- and delay-eyeblink conditioning with whisker or auditory stimulation as the conditioned stimulus to examine possible age-related behavioral and neocortical abnormalities. Whisker stimulation was determined to be a more effective stimulus for examining age-related behavioral abnormalities in C57 mice. Additionally, neocorti

SUBMITTER: Galvez R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2891600 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature