PARALLELS IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION OF AGED MONKEYS AND HUMANS
M.L. Voytko
Department of Pathology/Comparative Medicine,
Wake Forest University School of Medicine,
Medical Center Boulevard,
Winston-Salem, NC 27157
The focus of this study was to determine the parallels
between functional aging in monkeys and humans. Young
(9-12 years) and aged (27-34 years) rhesus monkeys were
examined on behavioral tasks assessing learning, memory,
cognitive flexibility, attention, and motor skills. Similar
to aged humans, aged monkeys displayed deficits in many of
these functional domains. However, there was a good deal
of individual variability among the aged monkeys, with some
aged monkeys performing at levels comparable to the young
monkeys. Additional studies in aged monkeys using
positron emission tomography indicated that both the
cholinergic and dopaminergic systems are altered with age
in monkeys and that the alterations in the cholinergic
system are related to cognitive function.
Key words:
monkeys, memory, attention, cholinergic system, dopaminergic system
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