Spatial memory deficit across aging: current insights of the role of 5-HT7 receptors

• Published in: Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience Vol. 8; p. 448
• Main Authors: Beaudet, Gregory, Bouet, Valentine, Jozet-Alves, Christelle, Schumann-Bard, Pascale, Dauphin, François, Paizanis, Eleni, Boulouard, Michel, Freret, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 14-01-2015; Frontiers; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: 5-HT7R; Age; Aging; Alzheimer’s disease; Animal biology; Animal memory; Binding sites; Cognitive ability; Cognitive science; Gene expression; Geriatrics; Hippocampus; Information processing; Invertebrate Zoology; Life Sciences; Morbidity; Navigation behavior; Neuroscience; Neurosciences; Quality of life; Serotonin; Serotonin receptors; spatial cognition; Spatial memory; Therapeutic applications; spatial cognition; serotonin; 5-HT7R; aging; Alzheimer’s disease; 5-ht7r; gene-expression; in-situ hybridization; rat-brain; caudate-nucleus; recognition memory; 5-HT 7 R; age-differences; barnes maze; messenger-rna; double dissociation; navigational strategies; Alzheimer's disease
• ISSN: 1662-5153; 1662-5153
• DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00448

Elderly persons often face biological, psychological or social changes over time that may cause discomfort or morbidity. While some cognitive domains remain stable over time, others undergo a decline. Spatial navigation is a complex cognitive function essential for independence, safety and quality of life. While egocentric (body-centered) navigation is quite preserved during aging, allocentric (externally-centered) navigation-based on a cognitive map using distant landmarks-declines with age. Recent preclinical studies showed that serotonergic 5-HT7 receptors are localized in brain regions associated with allocentric spatial navigation processing. Behavioral assessments with pharmacological or genetic tools have confirmed the role of 5-HT7 receptors in allocentric navigation. Moreover, few data suggested a selective age-related decrease in the expression of 5-HT7 receptors in pivotal brain structures implicated in allocentric navigation such as the hippocampal CA3 region. We aim to provide a short overview of the potential role of 5-HT7 receptors in spatial navigation, and to argue for their interests as therapeutic targets against age-related cognitive decline.