Significance of inhibitory recruitment in aging with preserved cognition: limiting GABAA α5 function produces memory impairment

Abstract Numerous aging studies have identified a shift in the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance with heightened hippocampal neural activity associated with age-related memory impairment across species, including rats, monkeys, and humans. Neurobiological investigations directed at the hippocampal formation have demonstrated that unimpaired aged rats performing on par with young adult rats in a spatial memory task exhibit gene expression profiles, mechanisms for plasticity, and altered circuit/network function, which are distinct from younger rats. Particularly striking is a convergence of observational evidence that aged unimpaired rats augment recruitment of mechanisms associated with neural inhibition, a finding that may represent an adaptive homeostatic adjustment necessary to maintain neural plasticity and memory function in aging. In this study, we test the effect of limiting inhibition via administration of TB21007, a negative allosteric modulator of GABAA α5 receptors, on a radial arm maze assessment of memory function. Impaired memory performance produced by this intervention in otherwise high performing aged rats supports an adaptive role for GABA in the functional maintenance of intact cognition in aging.