Neuroscience 2001 Abstract
| Presentation Number: | 885.3 |
|---|---|
| Abstract Title: | NEUROANATOMICAL CORRELATES OF STRESS AND COGNITIVE AGING IN MONKEYS: EVIDENCE FROM STRUCTURAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. |
| Authors: |
Lyons, D. M.*1
; Eliez, S.1
; Schmitt, J. E.1
; Buckmaster, C.1
; Reiss, A. L.1
; Schatzberg, A. F.1
1Dept Psychiatry & Behav Sci, Stanford Univ Med Sch, Stanford, CA |
| Primary Theme and Topics |
Autonomic, Limbic and Other Systems - Stress and the Brain -- HPA axis |
| Secondary Theme and Topics | Neurological and Psychiatric Conditions<br />- Aging<br />-- Physiology |
| Session: |
885. Stress and the brain Slide |
| Presentation Time: | Thursday, November 15, 2001 8:30 AM-8:45 AM |
| Location: | Room 2 |
| Keywords: | HPA AXIS, LEARNING AND MEMORY, PREFRONTAL CORTEX, PRIMATE MODEL |
To examine brain substrates of stress physiology and cognitive functions affected by age, we measured plasma levels of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), sensitivity to glucocorticoid negative feedback regulation, performance on learning and memory tests, and the volume of prefrontal brain regions in healthy 5-17 year old female squirrel monkeys. Sexual maturity occurs at 3 years, and the average maximum lifespan is 21 years. No age-related differences were discerned on initial spatial learning and memory tests, nor at baseline for levels of cortisol and ACTH. But older monkeys responded with larger stress-induced increases in ACTH due in part to diminished glucocorticoid sensitivity determined by administration of hydrocortisone. Older monkeys also made significantly more errors on tests of reversal learning and memory that required inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Contrary to evidence from human neuroimaging, neither prefrontal gray nor white matter volumes were diminished in older squirrel monkeys. Total brain gray but not white matter volumes adjusted for variation in body size were inversely correlated with chronological age, and with stress levels of ACTH, but not with age-sensitive cognitive capabilities. These results agree with detailed studies of rhesus monkeys indicating that ordinary cognitive decline is not caused by prefrontal or global brain atrophy, whereas age-related gray matter shrinkage is associated with exaggerated HPA-axis responses to stress. Supported by the Pritzker Network and MH47573.
Sample Citation:
[Authors]. [Abstract Title]. Program No. XXX.XX. 2001 Neuroscience Meeting Planner. San Diego, CA: Society for Neuroscience, 2001. Online.
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