Enriched environment, nitric oxide production and synaptic plasticity prevent the aging-dependent impairment of spatial cognition.

LORES ARNAIZ, S.; D´AMICO, G.; PAGLIA, N.; ARISMENDI, M.; BASSO, N.; LORES ARNAIZ, M.R.

Molecular Aspects of Medicine

Elsevier

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2004 vol. 25 p. 91 - 101

0098-2997

In rodents, neuronal plasticity decreases and spatial learning and working memory deficits increase upon aging. Several authors have shown that rats reared in enriched environments have better cognitive performance in association with increased neuronal plasticity than animals reared in standard environments. We hypothesized that enriched environment could preserve animals from the age-associated impairments, mainly through NO-dependent mechanisms of induction of neuronal plasticity. We present evidence that 27 months old rats from an enriched environment showed a better performance in spatial working memory than standard reared rats of the same age. Both mtNOS and cytosolic nNOS activities were found significantly increased (73% and 155% respectively) in female rats from enriched environment as compared with animals kept in a standard environment. The enzymatic activity of complex I was 80% increased in rats from enriched environment as compared with control rats. We conclude that an extensive enriched environment prevents old rats from the aging-associated impairment of spatial cognition, synaptic plasticity and nitric oxide production.