TitleAging of the NMDA receptor: from a mouse's point of view.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2012
AuthorsMagnusson KR
JournalFuture Neurol
Volume7
Issue5
Pagination627-637
Date Published2012 Sep
ISSN1479-6708
Abstract

Our elderly population is growing and declines in cognitive abilities, such as memory, can be costly, because it can interfere with a person's ability to live independently. The NMDA receptor is very important for many different forms of memory and this receptor is negatively affected by aging. This review examines the progress that has been made recently in characterizing selective vulnerabilities of different subunits and splice variants of the NMDA receptor to normal aging in C57BL/6 mice. Evidence is also presented for changes in the relationships of NMDA receptors to plasticity across aging. Recent interventions show that enhancing NMDA receptors in aged individuals is associated with improvements in memory, but mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases suggest that finding the right balance between too little and too much NMDA receptor activity will be the key to enhancing memory without inducing pathology.

DOI10.2217/fnl.12.54
Alternate JournalFuture Neurol
PubMed ID23316115
PubMed Central IDPMC3540203
Grant ListR01 AG016322 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States