Effect of Testosterone on Spatial Memory in Aged Male Rats, Poster 27

Aging and age-dependent disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, have been found to lead to dramatic decreases in memory and cognitive function. The reason for this cognitive decline is not fully understood and likely... [ view full abstract ]

Aging and age-dependent disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, have been found to lead to dramatic decreases in memory and cognitive function. The reason for this cognitive decline is not fully understood and likely involves many physiological changes caused by aging. The role of testosterone in aging is often overlooked; however androgen replacement therapy may rescue individuals from age-related hypogonadism and associated cell death of memory areas, such as the hippocampus and dentate gyrus. In this study, we examined the particular role of testosterone on working and reference memory of spatial tasks. A sample of aged rats was castrated and tested over a 25-day period for their performance within a radial arm maze (RAM). Four of the eight arms were baited with food pellets each day to promote learning. Starting one week prior to behavioral testing, rats received daily injections of varying testosterone concentration given their assigned treatment group (oil, 0.125, 0.25, 0.50, or 1.0 mg/rat). Preliminary data indicate a negative trend between testosterone concentrations and combined working-memory errors (CWME) with rats that received higher doses demonstrating greater spatial memory and learning (fewer errors) than rats that received lower doses.