Objective: To study the roles of the oxidative stress system and the anti-oxidative stress system in neurodegenerative processes induced by aluminum overload in mice.Methods: The neurodegenerative model of mice was established via intragastric administration of AlCl3 solution(element aluminum 400 mg/kg)once a day

with 6 days of week for 3 months.The light-dark test and morris-water-maze were used to evaluate the learning and memory functions.The activities of SOD and SOD2 as well as the contents of MDA in both cortices and hippocampi were measured.Pathomorphological changes of hippocampi were observed.Results: Aluminum overload significantly decreased capacity of passive avoidance learning and memory and spatial recognition

caused the pyknosis and neuron loss of hippocampi

and parallelly increased SOD and SOD2 activities as well as MDA content in cortex and hippocampi

with a tendency of raising first and then gradually decreasing.Conclusions: Aluminum overload markedly causes neurodegeneration and damages learning and memory function in mice

the mechanism of which may be related to the imbalance between oxidative stress and anti-oxidative stress systems in brain induced by aluminum overload.