Antioxidant-rich diets improve cerebellar physiology and motor learning inaged rats

The free radical theory of aging predicts that reactive oxygen species are involved in the decline in function associated with aging. The present pape r reports that diets supplemented with either spinach, strawberries or blue berries, nutritional sources of antioxidants, reverse age-induced declines in beta-adrenergic receptor function in cerebellar Purkinje neurons measure d using: electrophysiological techniques. In addition the spinach diet impr oved learning on a runway motor task, previously shown to be modulated by c erebellar norepinephrine. Motor learning is important for adaptation to cha nges in the environment and is thus critical for rehabilitation following s troke, spinal cord injury, and the onset of some neurodegenerative diseases . These data are the first to indicate that age-related deficits in motor l earning and memory can be reversed with nutritional interventions. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.