Posttraining systemic administration of the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate ameliorates aging-related memory decline in rats

Here we show that a systemic injection of the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) sodium butyrate (NaB) ameliorated an aging-associated deficit in object recognition memory in rats when the injection was given immediately, but not 6 h after training. NaB had no effect in younger rats with normal memory retention. The results indicate that HDACis can ameliorate aging-related memory impairments by influencing the early consolidation phase of memory formation.

► Sodium butyrate ameliorated an aging-associated recognition memory deficit in rats.
► The memory-improving effect was produced by an injection given early after training.
► Histone deacetylase inhibitors can act on consolidation to rescue memory dysfunction.