Poster De Conférence Année : 2021

Life-long olfactory enrichment induces broad cognitive benefits and structural remodeling of the noradrenergic system in aged mice.

Résumé

Aging is an inevitable and complex biological phenomenon associated with a progressive decline of sensory, motor and cognitive functions with time, affecting life quality and health. Apart from any age-related neurodegenerative diseases, normal brain aging is accompanied by functional and structural changes, leading to cognitive decline. A potentially powerful tool to achieve successful brain aging is to boost the cognitive reserve. Indeed, a higher level of brain stimulation is associated with changes in neural activity and connectivity possibly supporting better efficiency, capacity, flexibility or adaptability of neural networks in humans. In rodents, environmental enrichment mimics the conditions leading to constitution of the cognitive reserve in humans and has largely proven cognitive benefits. This strategy relies on complex stimulations including enhanced multisensory stimulations, physical exercise and social interactions, among which novelty appears to play a greater role. In this study, we used a strategy based on a single sensory stimulation with a novel odor every day (enrichment) and repeated olfactory enrichment sessions during the whole life of the animal in order to enable the cognitive reserve buildup. We report that mice submitted to lifelong olfactory enrichment display improved olfactory discrimination performances at late ages. Interestingly, benefits were also recorded in spatial memory and cognitive flexibility indicating that the effects of an odor-based enrichment extend beyond the olfactory sphere and include broader cognitive benefits on age-sensitive performances. The cellular bases of these cognitive benefits include a local increase in noradrenergic innervation, but no significant changes in adult neurogenesis. Further analysis will reveal the consequences on brain activation patterns. Altogether, our results demonstrate that an odor-based remediation strategy can extend benefits on global brain function and induce remodeling of the noradrenergic system. We thus propose long-term olfactory stimulation as an effective non-pharmaceutical therapeutic strategy to promote healthy brain aging.

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Dates et versions

hal-04956491 , version 1 (19-02-2025)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-04956491 , version 1

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Juliette Greco, Claire Terrier, Matthias Cavelius, Marc Thévenet, Nathalie Mandairon, et al.. Life-long olfactory enrichment induces broad cognitive benefits and structural remodeling of the noradrenergic system in aged mice.. NeuroFrance, 2021, Strasboug/en ligne, France. ⟨hal-04956491⟩
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