Age-Associated Changes of Nitric Oxide Concentration Dynamics in the Central Nervous System of Fisher 344 Rats

摘要

The increase in life expectancy is accompanied by an increased risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders and age is the most relevant risk factor for the appearance of cognitive decline. While decreased neuronal count has been proposed to be a major contributing factor to the appearance of age-associated cognitive decline, it appears to be insufficient to fully account for the decay in mental function in aged individuals. Nitric oxide ((NO)-N-aEuro cent) is a ubiquitous signaling molecule in the mammalian central nervous system. Closely linked to the activation of glutamatergic transmission in several structures of the brain, neuron-derived (NO)-N-aEuro cent can act as a neuromodulator in synaptic plasticity but has also been linked to neuronal toxicity and degenerative processes. Many studies have proposed that changes in the glutamate-(NO)-N-aEuro cent signaling pathway may be implicated in age-dependent cognitive decline and that the exact effect of such changes may be region specific. Due to its peculiar physical-chemical properties, namely hydrophobicity, small size, and rapid diffusion properties, the rate and pattern of (NO)-N-aEuro cent concentration changes are critical determinants for the understanding of its bioactivity in the brain. Here we show a detailed study of how (NO)-N-aEuro cent concentration dynamics change in the different regions of the brain of Fisher 344 rats (F344) during aging. Using microelectrodes inserted into the living brain of anesthetized F344 rats, we show here that glutamate-induced (NO)-N-aEuro cent concentration dynamics decrease in the hippocampus, striatum, and cerebral cortex as animals age. performance in behavior testing of short-term and spatial memory, suggesting that the impairment in the glutamate:nNOS pathway represents a functional critical event in cognitive decline during aging.