Old age and cognition: enhancement of recent memory in aged rats by the calcium channel blocker nimodipine.

Aged hooded rats were given extensive training on an 8-arm radial arm maze task. The testing procedure was so designed as to maximally challenge each animal's trial specific memory capacities. After performance had stabilized, the animals were administered different dosages of the dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker nimodipine. In all animals, the drug improved performance in the 8-arm maze but, more importantly, it did so in a dose-related manner. These results, along with other findings, support the notion that calcium homeostasis may be an important factor determining the behavioral consequences of aging and particularly memory dysfunctions.