Age-related changes in the organization of spontaneously occurring behaviors

• DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104713
• Publication Date: 2022-07-25T15:23:05Z
• Authors: J.R. Osterlund Ol...; E.A. Schaeffer; A.A. Blackwell; R.I. Lake; R.M. Einhaus; G.L. Kartje; D.G. Wallace
• Keywords: Neurons; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Space Perception; Animals; Female; Hippocampus; Locomotion; Orientation, Spatial; Rats

Age-related changes in spatial and temporal processing have been documented across a range of species. Rodent studies typically investigate differences in performance between adult and senescent animals; however, progressive loss of neurons in the hippocampus and cortex has been observed to occur as early as after adolescence. Therefore, the current study evaluated the effects of age in three- and ten-month-old female rats on the organization of movement in open field and food protection behaviors, two tasks that have previously dissociated hippocampal and cortical pathology. Age-related differences were observed in general measures of locomotion, spatial orientation, and attentional processing. The results of the current study are consistent with age-related changes in the processing of spatial information and motivation that occur earlier in life than previously anticipated. These observations establish a foundation for future studies evaluating interventions that influence these age-related differences in performance.