Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Author: María Milagros Sisti | Email: msisti@med.unlp.edu.ar
María Milagros Sisti1°, Cervellini Sofia1°, Echavarría Lila1°, Carreras Tomas Ricardo1°, Peralta Facundo1°, Maté María Sabina1°, Bellini María José1°
1° INIBIOLP-CONICET, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, BA, Argentina
Aging is a biological process that significantly impacts the brain, often leading to neurodegenerative diseases. Chronic inflammation, primarily driven by glial cells like microglia and astroglia, is a hallmark of the aging brain. Understanding the changes within these cell types and their correlation with behavioral alterations is crucial for gaining insights into age-related neurodegeneration.
To investigate these links, we examined behavioral changes (cognition, depression, locomotion) and the characteristics of glial cells in female Sprague Dawley rats at various ages: 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Additionally, we assessed the effects of omega-3 fatty acid (ω-3 FAs) supplementation, known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties, on aging rats at 18 and 24 months.
Our findings reveal that early signs of depressive-like behavior appear at 12 months. While memory impairments were evident only at 24 months using Barnes Maze (BM) test, ω-3 FAs effectively ameliorated cognitive deficits associated with hippocampal memory. No significant changes were observed in other evaluated tests. Changes in the quantity and phenotype of glial cells were also observed in the different regions evaluated.
These findings suggest that ω-3 FAs supplementation could mitigate the detrimental effects of aging, by acting on glial cells. This promising outcome paves the way for exploring novel therapeutic strategies to address age-related neurodegenerative diseases.