A computer-assisted cognitive test battery for aged monkeys.

Jerry J Buccafusco; Alvin V Terry; Paul B Murdoch

doi:10.1007/s12031-002-0030-6

Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 12212778

A computer-assisted cognitive test battery for aged monkeys.

Jerry J Buccafusco·Alvin V Terry·Paul B Murdoch

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

A computer-assisted version of the delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) task has been of enormous utility in our non-human primate model for assessment of memory-enhancing agents. To avoid ceiling effects as might be encountered by using fixed delay intervals in monkeys exhibiting varying performance efficiencies, delay intervals are adjusted to provide similar baseline levels of delay-dependent performance. Macaques well trained in the task exhibited a marked age-dependent sensitivity to the effects of the amnestic drug scopolamine. Aged animals also were more affected than their younger counterparts by the presentation of a distractor shortly after receiving the stimulus component of the DMTS task. One limitation of the DMTS task is that under baseline conditions certain aged subjects may perform the task as well or better than some younger animals. To help avoid this situation, we developed a titrating version of the DMTS which was administered similarly to the standard DMTS task. Animals begin the first trial with a 0 s delay interval. Delay intervals after a correct response are incremented by 1 s. Delay intervals after an incorrect match are decreased by 1 s. Rhesus and pigtail macaques who ranged in age from 5-27 years and who were maintained on the standard DMTS for at least one year performed 3-4 consecutive 96 trial sessions. The maximum delay intervals attained by the study group, exhibited a significant correlation with age (p < 0.02). Decrements in task accuracy, and in the number of trials completed/session showed a trend with age (p < 0.08). If the titrating version of the DMTS is sensitive to mnemonic drugs, the task may prove useful for drug comparisons with aging.

Explore related subjects

Aging Animals Behavior, Animal Cognition Computer Simulation Macaca Memory Muscarinic Antagonists Psychomotor Performance Scopolamine Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Jerry J Buccafusco, Alvin V Terry, Paul B Murdoch. A computer-assisted cognitive test battery for aged monkeys.. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-002-0030-6

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2026

An open benchmark and language models for AI in aging biology.

Over the past two decades, human aging has been characterized across DNA methylation, transcriptomic, proteomic, and clinical modalities, yet no benchmark evaluates whether AI systems can interpret these heterogeneous data types in the context of aging biology. We introduce LongevityBench, an open suite of 17 tasks spanning five biodata domains, and use it to assess 18 frontier AI systems from six developer teams. Despite recent advances in AI, no single model dominates all tasks, with omics-based age prediction being the hardest task regardless of scale. To test whether these gaps can be closed without frontier-scale resources, we fine-tuned a family of five multitask Longevity-LLMs on domain-specific aging data. The compact (0.6B-9B parameters) Longevity-LLMs matched or exceeded far larger frontier systems on LongevityBench, showing that general-purpose language models can be adapted to structured-omics tasks. We publicly release the benchmark, models, and Longevity Claw, an agentic research interface for aging researchers.

Aging↗

PubMed2026

Association between sirtuin 1 and markers of oxidative stress in master athletes.

BACKGROUND: Lifelong training in master athletes confers protective effects, promoting higher sirtuin levels and enhanced antioxidant capacity. Although Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is well studied, no previous study has examined the relationship between circulating SIRT1 levels and antioxidant defense variables in master athletes. PURPOSE: To compare and analyze the relationships between circulating levels of SIRT1 and variables related to antioxidant defense in master athletes (MA) and untrained middle-aged individuals (UMA). METHODS: Male MA (n = 42; 51.62 ± 7.33 years; ≥10 years of training and competition in running) and UMA (n = 15; 47.73 ± 8.52 years) were evaluated. Venous blood samples were collected for biochemical analyses of SIRT1, antioxidant enzymes, TBARS and F2-isoprostanes, 8-OHdG, and redox balance indexes. RESULTS: MA showed higher levels of SIRT1 (18.22 ± 4.53 vs. 6.08 ± 2.11 ng/mL; p < 0.0001), as well as of SOD, CAT, and GSH (p < 0.001), indicating a more favorable antioxidant profile. After adjustment for body fat percentage, differences in SOD, CAT, GSH and TBARS, remained significant. SIRT1 was positively correlated with SOD (r = 0.279; p = 0.031), CAT (r = 0.485; p < 0.001), GSH (r = 0.476; p < 0.001) and CAT/8-OHdG (r = 0.430; p = 0.032), and negatively correlated with TBARS (r = - 0.518; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Master athletes exhibited higher circulating SIRT1 concentrations and a more favorable systemic redox profile than untrained individuals, with SIRT1 being associated with markers of antioxidant defense, lipid peroxidation, and redox balance.

Aging↗

PubMed2026

Decoding SUMOylation as a metabolic stress sensor in aging and age-related disorders: Mechanisms, tissue specificity and therapeutic potential.

SUMOylation is a reversible post-translational modification increasingly recognized for its role in coordinating cellular responses to metabolic stress during aging. Emerging evidence indicates that it functions beyond a conventional modification, representing an adaptive stress‑responsive regulatory network that integrates metabolic, oxidative, inflammatory, and proteotoxic signals. Rather than acting on isolated pathways, this network finely tunes mitochondrial function, proteostasis, genome maintenance, immune balance, and epigenetic regulation. Accumulating evidence indicates that SUMO-dependent regulation exhibits remarkable tissue specificity, supporting mitochondrial adaptation and contractile integrity in skeletal muscle, shaping lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver, modulating proteotoxic stress and neuronal resilience in the brain, and contributing to immune cell differentiation and chronic low-grade inflammation during aging. In this review, we summarize current mechanistic insights into SUMO signaling across aging-relevant tissues, with particular emphasis on its functional interplay with other post-translational modifications, including ubiquitination and acetylation. We discuss how SUMOylation operates as a shared regulatory layer while enabling context-dependent outcomes that underlie diverse aging phenotypes and age-related disorders. Finally, we evaluate emerging translational approaches-ranging from pharmacological modulation of SUMO enzymes to lifestyle interventions such as caloric restriction and exercise-that highlight both the opportunities and challenges of targeting SUMO-regulated stress responses in aging. Together, this synthesis provides a framework for understanding how SUMOylation links metabolic stress to tissue-specific aging trajectories and therapeutic potential.

Aging↗