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Experience induces structural and biochemical changes in the adult primate brain.

ABSTRACT: Primates exhibit complex social and cognitive behavior in the wild. In the laboratory, however, the expression of their behavior is usually limited. A large body of literature shows that living in an enriched environment alters dendrites and synapses in the brains of adult rodents. To date, no studies have investigated the influence of living in a complex environment on brain structure in adult primates. We assessed dendritic architecture, dendritic spines, and synaptic proteins in adult marmosets housed in either a standard laboratory cage or in one of two differentially complex habitats. A month-long stay in either complex environment enhanced the length and complexity of the dendritic tree and increased dendritic spine density and synaptic protein levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. No differences were detected between the brains of marmosets living in the two differentially complex environments. Our results show that the structure of the adult primate brain remains highly sensitive even to modest levels of experiential complexity. For adult primates, living in standard laboratory housing may induce reversible dendritic spine and synapse decreases in brain regions important for cognition.

SUBMITTER: Kozorovitskiy Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1297690 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Experience induces structural and biochemical changes in the adult primate brain.

Kozorovitskiy Yevgenia Y Gross Charles G CG Kopil Catherine C Battaglia Lisa L McBreen Meghan M Stranahan Alexis M AM Gould Elizabeth E

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20051118 48

Primates exhibit complex social and cognitive behavior in the wild. In the laboratory, however, the expression of their behavior is usually limited. A large body of literature shows that living in an enriched environment alters dendrites and synapses in the brains of adult rodents. To date, no studies have investigated the influence of living in a complex environment on brain structure in adult primates. We assessed dendritic architecture, dendritic spines, and synaptic proteins in adult marmose ...[more]

PMID: 16299105

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Project description:Background: The brain atrophy and lesion index (BALI) has been developed to assess whole-brain structural deficits that are commonly seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in aging. It is unclear whether such changes can be detected at younger ages and how they might relate to other exposures. Here, we investigate how BALI scores, and the subcategories that make the total score, compare across adulthood and whether they are related to the level of cardiovascular risks, in both young and old adulthood. Methods: Data were from 229 subjects (72% men; 24-80 years of age) whose annual health evaluation included a routine anatomical MRI examination. A BALI score was generated for each subject from T2-weighted MRI. Differences in the BALI total score and categorical subscores were examined by age and by the level of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs). Regression analysis was used to evaluate relationships between continuous variables. Relative risk ratios (RRRs) of CVRF on BALI were examined using a multinomial logistic regression. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate the classification accuracy. Results: Nearly 90% of the participants had at least one CVRF. Mean CVRF scores increased with age (slope = 0.03; r = 0.36, 95% confidence intervals: 0.23-0.48; p < 0.001). The BALI total score was closely related to age (slope = 0.18; r = 0.69, 95% confidence intervals: 0.59-0.78; p < 0.001), as so were the categorical subscores (r's = 0.41-0.61, p < 0.001); each differed by the number of CVRF (t-test: 4.16-14.83, ? 2: 6.9-43.9, p's < 0.050). Multivariate analyses adjusted for age and sex suggested an independent impact of age and the CVRF on the BALI score (for each year of advanced age, RRR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.11-1.29; for each additional CVRF, RRR = 3.63, 95% CI = 2.12-6.23). The CVRF and BALI association remained significant even in younger adults. Conclusion: The accumulation of MRI-detectable structural brain deficits can be evident from young adulthood. Age and the number of CVFR are independently associated with BALI score. Further research is needed to understand the extent to which other age-related health deficits can increase the risk of abnormalities in brain structure and function, and how these, with BALI scores, relate to cognition.

Dataset Information

Experience induces structural and biochemical changes in the adult primate brain.

Publications

Experience induces structural and biochemical changes in the adult primate brain.

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