Studies of age-related changes in learning and memory often focus on hippocampus-sensitive tasks and reveal age-associated impairments across numerous species and contexts. However, cognitive decline with advanced age is not all-encompassing; for example, forms of striatum-sensitive learning are conserved or enhanced with age. Under certain conditions, hippocampal and striatal memory systems function in opposition. In young adult rodents, disruption of one structure can enhance learning on tasks dependent on the other, suggesting that competitive interactions across memory systems contribute to learning and memory abilities. This report examines whether imbalances across memory systems might contribute to cognitive aging. We inactivated the striatum using central infusions of lidocaine (sodium channel blocker) prior to hippocampus-sensitive spatial (place) training in young (3-4-month-old) and old (24-25-month-old) F344 male rats. Consistent with prior work, vehicle-infused old rats exhibited place learning impairments relative to young rats. Additionally, striatal inactivation enhanced learning in old rats, but not young rats, abolishing the age-related impairment. These findings suggest that age-related declines in learning tasks thought to engage the hippocampus may stem from exaggerated interference from other memory systems and that interventions to target the striatum may reverse some age-related learning decrements.

中文翻译：

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老年大鼠纹状体的失活可以挽救它们学习海马敏感空间导航任务的能力。

对学习和记忆中与年龄相关的变化的研究通常集中在海马敏感任务上，并揭示许多物种和环境中与年龄相关的损伤。然而，随着年龄的增长，认知能力下降并不是包罗万象的。例如，纹状体敏感学习的形式会随着年龄的增长而保留或增强。在某些条件下，海马和纹状体记忆系统的功能相反。在年轻的成年啮齿动物中，一种结构的破坏可以增强对依赖于另一种结构的任务的学习，这表明跨记忆系统的竞争性相互作用有助于学习和记忆能力。本报告研究了记忆系统之间的不平衡是否可能导致认知老化。我们在年轻（3-4 个月大）和老年（24-25 个月大）F344 雄性大鼠的海马敏感空间（位置）训练之前，使用中央输注利多卡因（钠通道阻滞剂）灭活纹状体。与之前的工作一致，与年轻大鼠相比，注入载体的老年大鼠表现出学习障碍。此外，纹状体失活增强了老年大鼠而非年轻大鼠的学习能力，从而消除了与年龄相关的损伤。这些研究结果表明，与年龄相关的学习任务被认为涉及海马体的下降可能源于其他记忆系统的过度干扰，而针对纹状体的干预可能会逆转一些与年龄相关的学习下降。与年轻大鼠相比，注入载体的老年大鼠表现出学习障碍。此外，纹状体失活增强了老年大鼠而非年轻大鼠的学习能力，从而消除了与年龄相关的损伤。这些研究结果表明，与年龄相关的学习任务被认为涉及海马体的下降可能源于其他记忆系统的过度干扰，而针对纹状体的干预可能会逆转一些与年龄相关的学习下降。与年轻大鼠相比，注入载体的老年大鼠表现出学习障碍。此外，纹状体失活增强了老年大鼠而非年轻大鼠的学习能力，从而消除了与年龄相关的损伤。这些研究结果表明，与年龄相关的学习任务被认为涉及海马体的下降可能源于其他记忆系统的过度干扰，而针对纹状体的干预可能会逆转一些与年龄相关的学习下降。