Age-related Memory Impairments Due to Reduced Blood Glucose Responses to Epinephrine

Overview

Journal Neurobiol Aging

Publisher Elsevier

Specialties Geriatrics
Neurology
Physiology

Date 2009 Jan 31

PMID 19178987

Citations 17

Authors

Ken A Morris

Qing Chang

Eric G Mohler

Paul E Gold

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Increases in blood glucose levels are an important component of the mechanisms by which epinephrine enhances memory formation. The present experiments addressed the hypothesis that a dysfunction in the blood glucose response to circulating epinephrine contributes to age-related memory impairments. Doses of epinephrine and glucagon that significantly increased blood glucose levels in young adult rats were far less effective at doing so in 2-year-old rats. In young rats, epinephrine and glucose were about equally effective in enhancing memory and in prolonging post-training release of acetylcholine in the hippocampus. However, glucose was more effective than epinephrine in enhancing both memory and acetylcholine release in aged rats. These results suggest that an uncoupling between circulating epinephrine and glucose levels in old rats may lead to an age-related reduction in the provision of glucose to the brain during training. This in turn may contribute to age-related changes in memory and neural plasticity.

Citing Articles

Glucose may Contribute to Retrieval and Reconsolidation of Contextual Fear Memory Through Hippocampal Nr4a3 and Bdnf mRNA Expression and May Act Synergically with Adrenaline.

Oliveira A, Azevedo M, Seixas R, Martinho R, Serrao P, Moreira-Rodrigues M Mol Neurobiol. 2023; 61(5):2784-2797.

PMID: 37938511 PMC: 11043124. DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03745-6.

Metabolic switching is impaired by aging and facilitated by ketosis independent of glycogen.

Hernandez A, Truckenbrod L, Federico Q, Campos K, Moon B, Ferekides N Aging (Albany NY). 2020; 12(9):7963-7984.

PMID: 32369441 PMC: 7244089. DOI: 10.18632/aging.103116.

Aging is not equal across memory systems.

Gardner R, Newman L, Mohler E, Tunur T, Gold P, Korol D Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2020; 172:107232.

PMID: 32315762 PMC: 8734657. DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107232.

Mental Work Requires Physical Energy: Self-Control Is Neither Exception nor Exceptional.

Ampel B, Muraven M, McNay E Front Psychol. 2018; 9:1005.

PMID: 30026710 PMC: 6041938. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01005.

Astrocyte glycogen and lactate: New insights into learning and memory mechanisms.

Alberini C, Cruz E, Descalzi G, Bessieres B, Gao V Glia. 2017; 66(6):1244-1262.

PMID: 29076603 PMC: 5903986. DOI: 10.1002/glia.23250.

References

Buckner R . Memory and executive function in aging and AD: multiple factors that cause decline and reserve factors that compensate. Neuron. 2004; 44(1):195-208. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2004.09.006. View

Talley C, Kahn S, Alexander L, Gold P . Epinephrine fails to enhance performance of food-deprived rats on a delayed spontaneous alternation task. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2000; 73(1):79-86. DOI: 10.1006/nlme.1999.3920. View

Sastre J, Pallardo F, Pla R, Pellin A, Juan G, OConnor J . Aging of the liver: age-associated mitochondrial damage in intact hepatocytes. Hepatology. 1996; 24(5):1199-205. DOI: 10.1002/hep.510240536. View

Messier C . Glucose improvement of memory: a review. Eur J Pharmacol. 2004; 490(1-3):33-57. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2004.02.043. View

Hansen J . Towards selective Kir6.2/SUR1 potassium channel openers, medicinal chemistry and therapeutic perspectives. Curr Med Chem. 2006; 13(4):361-76. DOI: 10.2174/092986706775527947. View

Gold P, Vogt J, Hall J . Glucose effects on memory: behavioral and pharmacological characteristics. Behav Neural Biol. 1986; 46(2):145-55. DOI: 10.1016/s0163-1047(86)90626-6. View

Gold P . Role of glucose in regulating the brain and cognition. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995; 61(4 Suppl):987S-995S. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/61.4.987S. View

Erickson K, Colcombe S, Elavsky S, McAuley E, Korol D, Scalf P . Interactive effects of fitness and hormone treatment on brain health in postmenopausal women. Neurobiol Aging. 2006; 28(2):179-85. DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2005.11.016. View

Katz M, Dax E, Gregerman R . Beta adrenergic regulation of rat liver glycogenolysis during aging. Exp Gerontol. 1993; 28(4-5):329-40. DOI: 10.1016/0531-5565(93)90060-q. View

10.

Giordano R, Di Vito L, Lanfranco F, Broglio F, Benso A, Gianotti L . Elderly subjects show severe impairment of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and reduced sensitivity of cortisol and aldosterone response to the stimulatory effect of ACTH(1-24). Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2001; 55(2):259-65. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2265.2001.01317.x. View

11.

Graham S, Herring P, Arinze I . Age-associated alterations in hepatic beta-adrenergic receptor/adenylate cyclase complex. Am J Physiol. 1987; 253(3 Pt 1):E277-82. DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.1987.253.3.E277. View

12.

Van Ermen A, Van de Velde E, Vanscheeuwijck P, Fraeyman N . Influence of age on the beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic receptors in rat liver. Mol Pharmacol. 1992; 42(4):649-55. View

13.

Gold P, van Buskirk R . Facilitation of time-dependent memory processes with posttrial epinephrine injections. Behav Biol. 1975; 13(2):145-53. DOI: 10.1016/s0091-6773(75)91784-8. View

14.

Disterhoft J, Matthew Oh M . Learning, aging and intrinsic neuronal plasticity. Trends Neurosci. 2006; 29(10):587-99. DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2006.08.005. View

15.

Mourre C, Widmann C, Lazdunski M . Sulfonylurea binding sites associated with ATP-regulated K+ channels in the central nervous system: autoradiographic analysis of their distribution and ontogenesis, and of their localization in mutant mice cerebellum. Brain Res. 1990; 519(1-2):29-43. DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(90)90057-i. View

16.

Fellows L, Boutelle M, Fillenz M . Physiological stimulation increases nonoxidative glucose metabolism in the brain of the freely moving rat. J Neurochem. 1993; 60(4):1258-63. DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1993.tb03285.x. View

17.

Gold P . Glucose and age-related changes in memory. Neurobiol Aging. 2005; 26 Suppl 1:60-4. DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2005.09.002. View

18.

Simpson I, Chundu K, Honer W, Davies P . Decreased concentrations of GLUT1 and GLUT3 glucose transporters in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Ann Neurol. 1994; 35(5):546-51. DOI: 10.1002/ana.410350507. View

19.

McNay E, Gold P . Food for thought: fluctuations in brain extracellular glucose provide insight into the mechanisms of memory modulation. Behav Cogn Neurosci Rev. 2007; 1(4):264-80. DOI: 10.1177/1534582302238337. View

20.

Ghelardini C, Galeotti N, Bartolini A . Influence of potassium channel modulators on cognitive processes in mice. Br J Pharmacol. 1998; 123(6):1079-84. PMC: 1565263. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0701709. View