Age-related psychomotor and spatial learning deficits in 129/SvJ mice

The 129 mouse strain has been widely used to construct mutations that model behavioral aging in humans. The current study found significant age-relate d declines in both psychomotor and swim maze performance of 5-, 17-, and 27 -month-old 129/SvJ mice. However, the age differences in swim maze acquisit ion were inconsistent with poor performance in the probe trial which assess es spatial memory. This inconsistency may result from the high degree of ge netic polymorphisms and age-related Visual pathology which afflicts this mo use strain. Therefore, we concluded that 129/SvJ mice present a problematic model of mammalian cognitive aging and involve a risk for behavioral conta mination in studies involving mutant mice derived from this strain. (C) 199 9 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.