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Experimental data obtained using both invertebrates and laboratory rodents have provided evidences that memory is based on changes in synaptic strenght ultimately leading to morpho-functional alterations involving the number and the area of active synapses, in the case of long term memory. In invertebrates, very simple associative learning is accompanied by rather complex changes at synaptic level involving changes in signal transduction pathways and induction of gene expression. Similar mechanisms have been hypothesized and partially proven also in mammalians. In particular, in vertebrates hippocampal long term potentiation (LTP) has been thouroughly explored as a synaptic model of memory. The strong dependence of memory trace formation on signal transduction activation is particularly intriguing when examinig the behavior of aged animals. Within this context, it has been shown in various rat …