Effects of environmental enrichment on old mice

✍ Scribed by Dr. J. M. Warren; C. Zerweck; A. Anthony

• Book ID: 102146310
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 357 KB
• Volume: 15
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0012-1630
• DOI: 10.1002/dev.420150104

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Fifteen male C57BL/6J mice, exposed to an enriched environment from age 600 to 750 days, were compared with 15 matched controls on 4 learning problems and an activity test. The enriched mice were significantly superior on an incidental learning and a food‐seeking task, but did not differ significantly from controls on a brightness discrimination task, the Lashley III maze and an activity test. The relative abundance of high and low ribonucleic acid‐containing cerebrocortical cells differed significantly between groups; the enriched mice had more cells with very high levels of RNA. The mammalian brain appears to remain responsive to environmental enrichment well into advanced age.