The effect of age on the dynamics and the level of c-Fos activation in response to acute restraint in Lewis rats

Recent studies have reported an age-related increase of anxiety in rodents with a concomitant decrease in neuronal activity in some of the key structures of the fear/anxiety circuit. In the present study we present evidence that distinct parts of this circuit are differentially affected by age in Lewis rats. The effect of ageing is observed both at the actual level of neuronal activation and its time-course. While the structures belonging to the HPA axis react with a bigger neuronal activation and almost no change in the shape of dynamics curve in response to restraint, the structures involved in higher processing of emotional cues (amygdala and hippocampus) become deficiently activated with age despite their generally higher basal level of activation.