Journal
NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
Volume 25, Issue 4, Pages 525-537Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2003.06.006
Keywords
impulsivity; spatial memory; working memory; recognition memory; inter-individual differences; aging; predictive factor; radial-arm maze; Y-maze; rats
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Impulsivity is a feature of psychiatric disorders such as mania, addictive behaviors or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which has recently been related to complaints of forgetfulness in adults. We investigated whether impulsiveness exerts a long-term influence on cognitive function in rats in a longitudinal study. Impulsivity, assessed by the ability to complete a sequence of presses to obtain food (conditioning box), spatial working memory (8-arm radial maze) assessed with varying degree of attentional load and recognition memory (Y-maze) were tested at different ages. Marked individual differences in impulsivity were observed at youth and remained stable at middle-age despite a general decline in the trait. Working memory scores of impulsive and non-impulsive rats did not differ in youth, whereas by middle-age the impulsive group had impaired working memory and was more sensitive to a higher attentional demand. Thus, impulsiveness in youth predicts cognitive performance in middle-age. These findings may help refine the search for early biological substrates of successful aging and for preventive follow-up of subjects at risk of impaired cognitive aging. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Inc.
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