Layer 3 (L3) pyramidal neurons in aged rhesus monkey lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) exhibit significantly elevated excitability in vitro and reduced spine density compared to neurons in young subjects. The time-course of these alterations, and whether they can be ameliorated in middle age by the powerful anti-oxidant curcumin is unknown. We compared the properties of L3 pyramidal neurons from the LPFC of behaviorally characterized rhesus monkeys over the adult lifespan using whole-cell patch clamp recordings and neuronal reconstructions. Working memory (WM) impairment, neuronal hyperexcitability, and spine loss began in middle age. There was no significant relationship between neuronal properties and WM performance. Middle-aged subjects given curcumin exhibited better WM performance and less neuronal excitability compared to control subjects. These findings suggest that the appropriate time frame for intervention for age-related cognitive changes is early middle age, and points to the efficacy of curcumin in delaying WM decline. Because there was no relationship between excitability and behavior, the effects of curcumin on these measures appear to be independent.

与年轻受试者的神经元相比，老年恒河猴外侧前额叶皮层 (LPFC) 中的第 3 层 (L3) 锥体神经元在体外表现出显着升高的兴奋性和降低的脊柱密度。这些改变的时间进程，以及强大的抗氧化剂姜黄素是否可以在中年时改善这些改变尚不清楚。我们使用全细胞膜片钳记录和神经元重建比较了行为特征恒河猴 LPFC 的 L3 锥体神经元在成年寿命期间的特性。工作记忆 (WM) 障碍、神经元过度兴奋和脊柱缺失始于中年。神经元特性与 WM 性能之间没有显着关系。与对照组相比，给予姜黄素的中年受试者表现出更好的 WM 表现和更低的神经元兴奋性。这些研究结果表明，干预与年龄相关的认知变化的适当时间范围是中年早期，并指出姜黄素在延缓 WM 下降方面的功效。因为兴奋性和行为之间没有关系，姜黄素对这些措施的影响似乎是独立的。