Age differences in spatial memory are mitigated during naturalistic navigation.

Spatial navigation deficits are often observed among older adults on tasks that require navigating virtual reality (VR) environments on a computer screen. We investigated whether these age differences are attenuated when tested in more naturalistic and ambulatory virtual environments. In Experiment 1, young and older adults navigated a variant of the Morris Water Maze task in each of two VR conditions: a desktop VR condition which required using a mouse and keyboard to navigate, and an ambulatory VR condition which permitted unrestricted locomotion. In Experiment 2, we examined whether age- and VR-related differences in spatial performance were affected by the inclusion of additional spatial cues. In both experiments, older adults navigated to target locations less precisely than younger individuals in the desktop condition. Age differences were significantly attenuated, however, when tested in the ambulatory VR environment. These findings underscore the importance of developing naturalistic assessments of spatial memory and navigation.

Hippocampal contributions to novel spatial learning are both age-related and age-invariant.

Older adults show declines in spatial memory, although the extent of these alterations is not uniform across the healthy older population. Here, we investigate the stability of neural representations for the same and different spatial environments in a sample of younger and older adults using high-resolution functional MRI of the medial temporal lobes. Older adults showed, on average, lower neural pattern similarity for retrieving the same environment and more variable neural patterns compared to young adults. We also found a positive association between spatial distance discrimination and the distinctiveness of neural patterns between environments. Our analyses suggested that one source for this association was the extent of informational connectivity to CA1 from other subfields, which was dependent on age, while another source was the fidelity of signals within CA1 itself, which was independent of age. Together, our findings suggest both age-dependent and independent neural contributions to spatial memory performance.

Extracellular matrix proteoglycans support aged hippocampus networks: a potential cellular-level mechanism of brain reserve.

One hallmark of normative brain aging is vast heterogeneity in whether older people succumb to or resist cognitive decline. Resilience describes a brain's capacity to maintain cognition in the face of aging and disease. One factor influencing resilience is brain reserve-the status of neurobiological resources available to support neuronal circuits as dysfunction accumulates. This study uses a cohort of behaviorally characterized adult, middle-aged, and aged rats to test whether neurobiological factors that protect inhibitory neurotransmission and synapse function represent key components of brain reserve. Histochemical analysis of extracellular matrix proteoglycans, which play critical roles in stabilizing synapses and modulating inhibitory neuron excitability, was conducted alongside analyses of lipofuscin-associated autofluorescence. The findings indicate that aging results in lower proteoglycan density and more lipofuscin in CA3. Aged rats with higher proteoglycan density exhibited better performance on the Morris watermaze, whereas lipofuscin abundance was not related to spatial memory. These data suggest that the local environment around neurons may protect against synapse dysfunction or hyperexcitability and could contribute to brain reserve mechanisms.

Hippocampal contributions to novel spatial learning are both age-related and age-invariant.

Older adults show declines in spatial memory, although the extent of these alterations is not uniform across the healthy older population. Here, we investigate the stability of neural representations for the same and different spatial environments in a sample of younger and older adults using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the medial temporal lobe. Older adults showed, on average, lower neural pattern similarity for retrieving the same environment and more variable neural patterns compared to young adults. We also found a positive association between spatial distance discrimination and the distinctiveness of neural patterns between environments. Our analyses suggested that one source for this association was the extent of informational connectivity to CA1 from other subfields, which was dependent on age, while another source was the fidelity of signals within CA1 itself, which was independent of age. Together, our findings suggest both age-dependent and independent neural contributions to spatial memory performance.

Age differences in spatial memory are mitigated during naturalistic navigation.

Spatial navigation deficits in older adults are well documented. These findings are often based on experimental paradigms that require using a joystick or keyboard to navigate a virtual desktop environment. In the present study, we investigated whether age differences in spatial memory are attenuated when tested in a more naturalistic and ambulatory virtual environment. In Experiment 1, cognitively normal young and older adults navigated a virtual variant of the Morris Water Maze task in each of two virtual reality (VR) conditions: a desktop VR condition which required using a mouse and keyboard to navigate and an immersive and ambulatory VR condition which permitted unrestricted locomotion. In Experiment 2, we examined whether age- and VR-related differences in spatial performance were affected by the inclusion of additional spatial cues in an independent sample of young and older adults. In both experiments, older adults navigated to target locations less precisely than did younger individuals in the desktop condition, replicating numerous prior studies. These age differences were significantly attenuated, however, when tested in the fully immersive and ambulatory environment. These findings underscore the importance of developing naturalistic and ecologically valid measures of spatial memory and navigation, especially when performing cross-sectional studies of cognitive aging.

A framework for concepts of reserve and resilience in aging.

The study of factors, across species, that allow some individuals to age more successfully than others has important implications for individual wellbeing as well as health education, policy and intervention. Design of studies and communication across investigators in this area has been hampered by a diversity of terminology. The Collaboratory on Research Definitions for Reserve and Resilience in Cognitive Aging and Dementia was funded by the National Institute on Aging and established in 2019 as a 3-year process of developing consensus definitions and research guidelines. The proposed Framework is based on an iterative process including 3 annual Workshops, focused workgroups, and input from numerous international investigators. It suggests the overarching term: resilience, and presents operational definitions for 3 concepts: cognitive reserve, brain maintenance, and brain reserve. Twelve pilot studies that integrate these definitions are presented. The use of a common vocabulary and operational definitions will facilitate even greater progress in understanding the factors that are associated with successful aging.

Retrosplenial cortex microglia and perineuronal net densities are associated with memory impairment in aged rhesus macaques.

Synapse loss and altered plasticity are significant contributors to memory loss in aged individuals. Microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, play critical roles in maintaining synapse function, including through a recently identified role in regulating the brain extracellular matrix. This study sought to determine the relationship between age, microglia, and extracellular matrix structure densities in the macaque retrosplenial cortex. Twenty-nine macaques ranging in age from young adult to aged were behaviorally characterized on 3 distinct memory tasks. Microglia, parvalbumin (PV)-expressing interneurons and extracellular matrix structures, known as perineuronal nets (PNNs), were immuno- and histochemically labeled. Our results indicate that microglia densities increase in the retrosplenial cortex of aged monkeys, while the proportion of PV neurons surrounded by PNNs decreases. Aged monkeys with more microglia had fewer PNN-associated PV neurons and displayed slower learning and poorer performance on an object recognition task. Stepwise regression models using age and the total density of aggrecan, a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan of PNNs, better predicted memory performance than did age alone. Together, these findings indicate that elevated microglial activity in aged brains negatively impacts cognition in part through mechanisms that alter PNN assembly in memory-associated brain regions.

Differential effects in young and aged rats' navigational accuracy following instantaneous rotation of environmental cues.

Successful navigation depends critically upon two broad categories of spatial navigation strategies that include allocentric and egocentric reference frames, relying on external or internal spatial information, respectively. As with older adults, aged rats show robust impairments on a number of different spatial navigation tasks. There is some evidence that these navigation impairments are accompanied by a bias toward relying on egocentric over allocentric navigation strategies. To test the degree to which young and aged animals utilize these two navigation approaches, a novel behavioral arena was used in which rats are trained to traverse a circular track and to stop at a learned goal location that is fixed with respect to a panorama of visual cues projected onto the surrounding walls. By instantaneously rotating the cues, allocentric and egocentric reference frames were put in direct and immediate conflict and goal navigation performance was assessed with respect to how accurately young and aged animals were able to utilize the rotated cues. Behavioral data collected from nine young and eight aged animals revealed that both age groups were able to update their navigation performance following cue rotation. Contrary to what was expected, however, aged animals showed more accurate overall goal navigation performance, stronger allocentric strategy use, and more evident changes in behavior in response to cue rotation compared to younger animals. The young rats appeared to mix egocentric and allocentric strategies for ICR task solution. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Aged Rats Exhibit Altered Behavior-Induced Oscillatory Activity, Place Cell Firing Rates, and Spatial Information Content in the CA1 Region of the Hippocampus.

Hippocampal gamma and theta oscillations are associated with mnemonic and navigational processes and adapt to changes in the behavioral state of an animal to optimize spatial information processing. It has been shown that locomotor activity modulates gamma and theta frequencies in rats, although how age alters this modulation has not been well studied. Here, we examine gamma and theta local-field potential and place cell activity in the hippocampus CA1 region of young and old male rats as they performed a spatial eye-blink conditioning task across 31 d. Although mean gamma frequency was similar in both groups, gamma frequency increased with running speed at a slower rate in old animals. By contrast, theta frequencies scaled with speed similarly in both groups but were lower across speeds in old animals. Although these frequencies scaled equally well with deceleration and speed, acceleration was less correlated with gamma frequency in both age groups. Additionally, spike phase-locking to gamma, but not theta, was greater in older animals. Finally, aged rats had reduced within-field firing rates but greater spatial information per spike within the field. These data support a strong relationship between locomotor behavior and local-field potential activity and suggest that age significantly affects this relationship. Furthermore, observed changes in CA1 place cell firing rates and information content lend support to the hypothesis that age may result in more general and context-invariant hippocampal representations over more detailed information. These results may explain the observation that older adults tend to recall the gist of an experience rather than the details.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Hippocampal oscillations and place cell activity are sensitive to sensorimotor input generated from active locomotion, yet studies of aged hippocampal function often do not account for this. By considering locomotion and spatial location, we identify novel age-associated differences in the scaling of oscillatory activity with speed, spike-field coherence, spatial information content, and within-field firing rates of CA1 place cells. These results indicate that age has an impact on the relationship between locomotion and hippocampal oscillatory activity, perhaps indicative of alterations to afferent input. These data also support the hypothesis that aged hippocampal place cells, compared with young, may more often represent more general spatial information. If true, these results may help explain why older humans tend to recall less specific and more gist-like information.

Aged Brains Express Less Melanocortin Receptors, Which Correlates with Age-Related Decline of Cognitive Functions.

Brain G-protein coupled receptors have been hypothesized to be potential targets for maintaining or restoring cognitive function in normal aged individuals or in patients with neurodegenerative disease. A number of recent reports suggest that activation of melanocortin receptors (MCRs) in the brain can significantly improve cognitive functions of normal rodents and of different rodent models of the Alzheimer's disease. However, the potential impact of normative aging on the expression of MCRs and their potential roles for modulating cognitive function remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we first investigated the expression of these receptors in six different brain regions of young (6 months) and aged (23 months) rats following assessment of their cognitive status. Correlation analysis was further performed to reveal potential contributions of MCR subtypes to spatial learning and memory. Our results revealed statistically significant correlations between the expression of several MCR subtypes in the frontal cortex/hypothalamus and the hippocampus regions and the rats' performance in spatial learning and memory only in the aged rats. These findings support the hypothesis that aging has a direct impact on the expression and function of MCRs, establishing MCRs as potential drug targets to alleviate aging-induced decline of cognitive function.

Sharing voxelwise neuroimaging results from rhesus monkeys and other species with Neurovault.

Animal neuroimaging studies can provide unique insights into brain structure and function, and can be leveraged to bridge the gap between animal and human neuroscience. In part, this power comes from the ability to combine mechanistic interventions with brain-wide neuroimaging. Due to their phylogenetic proximity to humans, nonhuman primate neuroimaging holds particular promise. Because nonhuman primate neuroimaging studies are often underpowered, there is a great need to share data amongst translational researchers. Data sharing efforts have been limited, however, by the lack of standardized tools and repositories through which nonhuman neuroimaging data can easily be archived and accessed. Here, we provide an extension of the Neurovault framework to enable sharing of statistical maps and related voxelwise neuroimaging data from other species and template-spaces. Neurovault, which was previously limited to human neuroimaging data, now allows researchers to easily upload and share nonhuman primate neuroimaging results. This promises to facilitate open, integrative, cross-species science while affording researchers the increased statistical power provided by data aggregation. In addition, the Neurovault code-base now enables the addition of other species and template-spaces. Together, these advances promise to bring neuroimaging data sharing to research in other species, for supplemental data, location-based atlases, and data that would otherwise be relegated to a "file-drawer". As increasing numbers of researchers share their nonhuman neuroimaging data on Neurovault, this resource will enable novel, large-scale, cross-species comparisons that were previously impossible.

Age-Related Regional Network Covariance of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Gray Matter in the Rat.

Healthy human aging has been associated with brain atrophy in prefrontal and selective temporal regions, but reductions in other brain areas have been observed. We previously found regional covariance patterns of gray matter with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in healthy humans and rhesus macaques, using multivariate network Scaled Subprofile Model (SSM) analysis and voxel-based morphometry (VBM), supporting aging effects including in prefrontal and temporal cortices. This approach has yet to be applied to neuroimaging in rodent models of aging. We investigated 7.0T MRI gray matter covariance in 10 young and 10 aged adult male Fischer 344 rats to identify, using SSM VBM, the age-related regional network gray matter covariance pattern in the rodent. SSM VBM identified a regional pattern that distinguished young from aged rats, characterized by reductions in prefrontal, temporal association/perirhinal, and cerebellar areas with relative increases in somatosensory, thalamic, midbrain, and hippocampal regions. Greater expression of the age-related MRI gray matter pattern was associated with poorer spatial learning in the age groups combined. Aging in the rat is characterized by a regional network pattern of gray matter reductions corresponding to aging effects previously observed in humans and non-human primates. SSM MRI network analyses can advance translational aging neuroscience research, extending from human to small animal models, with potential for evaluating mechanisms and interventions for cognitive aging.

Auditory and Visual System White Matter Is Differentially Impacted by Normative Aging in Macaques.

Deficits in auditory and visual processing are commonly encountered by older individuals. In addition to the relatively well described age-associated pathologies that reduce sensory processing at the level of the cochlea and eye, multiple changes occur along the ascending auditory and visual pathways that further reduce sensory function in each domain. One fundamental question that remains to be directly addressed is whether the structure and function of the central auditory and visual systems follow similar trajectories across the lifespan or sustain the impacts of brain aging independently. The present study used diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiological assessments of auditory and visual system function in adult and aged macaques to better understand how age-related changes in white matter connectivity at multiple levels of each sensory system might impact auditory and visual function. In particular, the fractional anisotropy (FA) of auditory and visual system thalamocortical and interhemispheric corticocortical connections was estimated using probabilistic tractography analyses. Sensory processing and sensory system FA were both reduced in older animals compared with younger adults. Corticocortical FA was significantly reduced only in white matter of the auditory system of aged monkeys, while thalamocortical FA was lower only in visual system white matter of the same animals. Importantly, these structural alterations were significantly associated with sensory function within each domain. Together, these results indicate that age-associated deficits in auditory and visual processing emerge in part from microstructural alterations to specific sensory white matter tracts, and not from general differences in white matter condition across the aging brain.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Age-associated deficits in sensory processing arise from structural and functional alterations to both peripheral sensory organs and central brain regions. It remains unclear whether different sensory systems undergo similar or distinct trajectories in function across the lifespan. To provide novel insights into this question, this study combines electrophysiological assessments of auditory and visual function with diffusion MRI in aged macaques. The results suggest that age-related sensory processing deficits in part result from factors that impact the condition of specific white matter tracts, and not from general decreases in connectivity between sensory brain regions. Such anatomic specificity argues for a framework aimed at understanding vulnerabilities with relatively local influence and brain region specificity.

A novel apparatus for assessing visual cue-based navigation in rodents.

BACKGROUND: Our understanding of the neural systems that subserve navigation and spatial processing can be greatly improved through access to experimental approaches that allow for precise spatial and temporal control of the sensory information that inform these systems. Furthermore, paradigms that incorporate concurrent behavioral metrics of navigation performance in the presence of experimental manipulations provide an additional dimension in which to understand neurobiological findings. NEW METHOD: We investigate the use of a novel behavioral apparatus, the Instantaneous Cue Rotation (ICR) arena, which utilizes an augmented reality system to allow for rapid remote control of all symmetry breaking visual cues in the environment as rats perform a real-world visual cue-based navigation task. RESULTS: We present behavioral data collected using two different reward delivery systems (fixed or mobile). Rats' behavior was assessed with respect to the degree and timing with which their navigation strategies changed in response to an instantaneous rotation of all orienting visual cues in the arena. We show that rats were able to utilize projected visual cues to navigate to a cue-aligned goal both before and after the cues were rotated, and that the mobile feeder version was optimal. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: In contrast to commonly used existing approaches for investigating environmental cues in spatial processing, the ICR does not require interrupting ongoing navigation behavior or rely on virtual reality systems that limit self-motion feedback. CONCLUSIONS: The ICR is an effective new method for dissociating the role of self-motion and environmental cues in navigation.

Cognitive Reserve in Model Systems for Mechanistic Discovery: The Importance of Longitudinal Studies.

The goal of this review article is to provide a resource for longitudinal studies, using animal models, directed at understanding and modifying the relationship between cognition and brain structure and function throughout life. We propose that forthcoming longitudinal studies will build upon a wealth of knowledge gleaned from prior cross-sectional designs to identify early predictors of variability in cognitive function during aging, and characterize fundamental neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the vulnerability to, and the trajectory of, cognitive decline. Finally, we present examples of biological measures that may differentiate mechanisms of the cognitive reserve at the molecular, cellular, and network level.

Age-associated changes in waking hippocampal sharp-wave ripples.

Hippocampal sharp-wave ripples are brief high-frequency (120-250 Hz) oscillatory events that support mnemonic processes during sleep and awake behavior. Although ripples occurring during sleep are believed to facilitate memory consolidation, waking ripples may also be involved in planning and memory retrieval. Recent work from our group determined that normal aging results in a significant reduction in the peak oscillatory frequency and rate-of-occurrence of ripples during sleep that may contribute to age-associated memory decline. It is unknown, however, how aging alters waking ripples. We investigated whether characteristics of waking ripples undergo age-dependent changes. Sharp-wave ripple events were recorded from the CA1 region of the hippocampus in old (n = 5) and young (n = 6) F344 male rats as they performed a place-dependent eyeblink conditioning task. Several novel observations emerged from this analysis. First, although aged rats expressed more waking ripples than young rats during track running and reward consumption, this effect was eliminated, and, in the case of track-running, reversed when time spent in each location was accounted for. Thus, aged rats emit more ripples, but young rats express a higher ripple rate. This likely results from reduced locomotor activity in aged animals. Furthermore, although ripple rates increased as young rats approached rewards, rates did not increase in aged rats, and rates in aged and young animals were not affected by eyeblink conditioning. Finally, although the oscillatory frequency of ripples was lower in aged animals during rest, frequencies in aged rats increased during behavior to levels indistinguishable from young rats. Given the involvement of waking ripples in memory retrieval, a possible consequence of slower movement speeds of aged animals is to provide more opportunity to replay task-relevant information and compensate for age-related declines in ripple rate during task performance.

Auditory Processing Deficits Are Selectively Associated with Medial Temporal Lobe Mnemonic Function and White Matter Integrity in Aging Macaques.

Deficits in auditory function and cognition are hallmarks of normative aging. Recent evidence suggests that hearing-impaired individuals have greater risks of developing cognitive impairment and dementia compared to people with intact auditory function, although the neurobiological bases underlying these associations are poorly understood. Here, a colony of aging macaques completed a battery of behavioral tests designed to probe frontal and temporal lobe-dependent cognition. Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and visual evoked potentials were measured to assess auditory and visual system function. Structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging were then performed to evaluate the microstructural condition of multiple white matter tracts associated with cognition. Animals showing higher cognitive function had significantly better auditory processing capacities, and these associations were selectively observed with tasks that primarily depend on temporal lobe brain structures. Tractography analyses revealed that the fractional anisotropy (FA) of the fimbria-fornix and hippocampal commissure were associated with temporal lobe-dependent visual discrimination performance and auditory sensory function. Conversely, FA of frontal cortex-associated white matter was not associated with auditory processing. Visual sensory function was not associated with frontal or temporal lobe FA, nor with behavior. This study demonstrates significant and selective relationships between ABRs, white matter connectivity, and higher-order cognitive ability.

Reinventing Neuroaging Research in the Digital Age.

The worldwide average human lifespan has increased over the past century. These changing demographics demand a reinvention of experimental approaches to study the brain and aging, with the aim of better matching cognitive healthspan with human lifespan. Past studies of cognitive aging included sample sizes that tended to be underpowered, were not sufficiently representative of national population characteristics, and often lacked longitudinal assessments. As a step to address these shortcomings, we propose a framework that encourages interaction between electronic-based and face-to-face study designs. We argue that this will achieve the necessary synergy to accelerate progress in the discovery and application of personalized interventions to optimize brain and cognitive health.

Experiments in macaque monkeys provide critical insights into age-associated changes in cognitive and sensory function.

The use of animal models in brain aging research has led to numerous fundamental insights into the neurobiological processes that underlie changes in brain function associated with normative aging. Macaque monkeys have become the predominant nonhuman primate model system in brain aging research due to their striking similarities to humans in their behavioral capacities, sensory processing abilities, and brain architecture. Recent public concern about nonhuman primate research has made it imperative to attempt to clearly articulate the potential benefits to human health that this model enables. The present review will highlight how nonhuman primates provide a critical bridge between experiments conducted in rodents and development of therapeutics for humans. Several studies discussed here exemplify how nonhuman primate research has enriched our understanding of cognitive and sensory decline in the aging brain, as well as how this work has been important for translating mechanistic implications derived from experiments conducted in rodents to human brain aging research.