Altered temporal patterns of anxiety in aged and amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice.

ABSTRACT: Both normal aging and dementia are associated with dysregulation of the biological clock, which contributes to disrupted circadian organization of physiology and behavior. Diminished circadian organization in conjunction with the loss of cholinergic input to the cortex likely contributes to impaired cognition and behavior. One especially notable and relatively common circadian disturbance among the aged is "sundowning syndrome," which is characterized by exacerbated anxiety, agitation, locomotor activity, and delirium during the hours before bedtime. Sundowning has been reported in both dementia patients and cognitively intact elderly individuals living in institutions; however, little is known about temporal patterns in anxiety and agitation, and the neurobiological basis of these rhythms

SUBMITTER: Bedrosian TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3136261 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature