The need to incorporate aged animals into the preclinical modeling of neurological conditions. (February 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sun, Mujun; McDonald, Stuart J.; Brady, Rhys D.; Collins-Praino, Lyndsey; Yamakawa, Glenn R.; Monif, Mastura; O'Brien, Terence J.; Cloud, Geoffrey C.; Sobey, Christopher G.; Mychasiuk, Richelle; Loane, David J.; Shultz, Sandy R.
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. Volume 109(2020)
• Page Start: 114
• Page End: 128
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Subjects: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) -- Stroke -- Parkinson's disease -- Epilepsy -- Multiple sclerosis (MS) -- Alzheimer's disease -- Immune response -- Protein dysregulation -- Oxidative stress -- Mitochondrial function -- DNA damage -- Cerebrovascular; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Human behavior -- Periodicals; Animal behavior -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Behavior -- Periodicals; Ethology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychophysiologie -- Périodiques; Comportement humain -- Périodiques; Animaux -- Mœurs et comportement -- Périodiques; Neurologie -- Périodiques; Animal behavior; Human behavior; Neurology; Psychophysiology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 573.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.027
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-7634

Abstract

Highlights: The global population is aging, which is a risk factor for many neurological conditions. Aging involves changes to mechanisms implicated in neurological conditions. The influence of aging on pathobiology in neurological conditions is understudied. Aged animals should be incorporated into future studies. Abstract: Neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease are serious clinical problems that affect millions of people worldwide. The majority of clinical trials for these common conditions have failed, and there is a critical need to understand why treatments in preclinical animal models do not translate to patients. Many patients with these conditions are middle-aged or older, however, the majority of preclinical studies have used only young-adult animals. Considering that aging involves biological changes that are relevant to the pathobiology of neurological diseases, the lack of aged subjects in preclinical research could contribute to translational failures. This paper details how aging affects biological processes involved in neurological conditions, and reviews aging research in the context of traumatic brain injury, stroke, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. We conclude that aging is an important, but often overlooked, factor that influences biology and outcomes in neurological conditions, and provide suggestions to improve our understanding and treatment of these diseases in aged patients.