RHESUS MONKEYS MODEL THE AGE-RELATED MOTORIC DECLINES AND EXPRESSION OF PARKINSONIAN FEATURES OF HUMAN SENESCENCE.
Don Gash1,3, Anders Andersen1,3, Charles Smith2,3, Zhiming Zhang1,3, Richard Grondin1, and Greg Gerhardt1,3
1.) Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, 2.) Department of Neurology, and 3.) Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Center, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536
A progressive slowing of motor functions and increased expression of parkinsonian signs characterizes aging in rhesus monkeys and in humans. Our studies have focused on delineating changes in the CNS motor circuitry underlying these behavioral declines. A combination of studies using specific behavioral tasks, selective dopaminergic drugs, anatomical MRI, functional MRI, in vivo microdialysis, and quantitative morphology have demonstrated a close correlation between age-related motoric declines and changes in the basal ganglia and central dopaminergic pathways. These studies suggest several lines of therapeutic approaches to treat the movement dysfunctions of advanced age, including the use of direct and indirect dopamine agonists and the administration of dopaminergic trophic factors.
These studies were supported by NIH grants NS35642, MH01245, AG06434 and AG13494.
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