Physical performance and longevity in aged rats.

Christy S Carter; William E Sonntag; Graziano Onder; Marco Pahor

doi:10.1093/gerona/57.5.b193

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Physical performance and longevity in aged rats.

Christy S Carter·William E Sonntag·Graziano Onder·Marco Pahor

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Abstract

In humans, physical performance declines with increasing age, and in nondisabled older persons, scores on standardized performance measures, such as walking speed, repeated chair stands, and a balance test, predict the incidence of disability and reduced longevity. Here we show in aged rats (24-month-old Brown Norway x Fischer 344 male rats; n = 48) that conceptually similar performance measures, such as swimming speed and an inclined plane procedure, can be assessed longitudinally, and that over 6 months of follow-up from the age of 24 to 30 months, performance declines progressively with increasing age. High baseline performance scores predict long-term longevity, a relationship that is also found in humans. The application of standardized physical performance measures to a variety of animal models of aging may help to define similarities between species in the underlying mechanisms of the age-related decline in performance, disability, and longevity.

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Aging Animals Longevity Male Motor Activity Rats Rats, Inbred BN Rats, Inbred F344 Survival Analysis Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

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Christy S Carter, William E Sonntag, Graziano Onder, Marco Pahor. 2002. Physical performance and longevity in aged rats.. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona%2F57.5.b193

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