Emotional behavior in middle-aged rats: Implications for geriatric psychopathologies

Abstract Clinical findings reveal that middle-aged patients are more susceptible to suffer from psychiatric disorders than older ones. However, little is known about the emotional behavior of aging rodents. This study aimed to investigate behavioral alterations in male middle-aged Wistar rats in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physiology & behavior 2011-01, Vol.102 (1), p.115-120
Main Authors: Moretti, M, de Souza, A.G, de Chaves, G, de Andrade, V.M, Romao, P.R.T, Gavioli, E.C, Boeck, C.R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Aged rats
Animals
Anxiety
Anxiety - psychology
Aversive memory
Avoidance Learning
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Body Weight
central nervous system diseases
Depression - psychology
Disease Models, Animal
Elevated plus-maze test
Forced swimming test
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Inhibition (Psychology)
Locomotor activity
Male
Maze Learning
memory
Memory Disorders - psychology
middle-aged adults
Mood
Motor Activity
patients
phenotype
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Swimming
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Summary:Abstract Clinical findings reveal that middle-aged patients are more susceptible to suffer from psychiatric disorders than older ones. However, little is known about the emotional behavior of aging rodents. This study aimed to investigate behavioral alterations in male middle-aged Wistar rats in the open-field (OF) test (at illuminated and dimly light conditions), elevated plus maze (EPM), forced swimming (FST) and inhibitory avoidance task (IA). In the EPM, middle-aged rats displayed reduced percentages of the time spent in and entries into open arms. The ambulatory activity measured in the OF under dimly light conditions was identical among groups. However, under illuminated conditions, a reduction in the number of crossings was detected in older rats, reinforcing that aged animals display a genuine anxiogenic-like phenotype. Additionally, aged rats showed an increase in the immobility time in the FST, and a reduction in the latency to step down the platform in the IA. A negative correlation was found between the immobility time and latency to step down the platform, suggesting a relationship between depressive-behavior and cognitive impairment in old rats. Altogether, male middle-aged rats are more anxious, depressed, and display aversive memory impairments. These observations contribute to investigate biological mechanisms and therapeutic interventions for geriatric anxiety and depression.
ISSN:0031-9384
1873-507X
DOI:10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.09.019