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The purpose of this study was to determine if relatively short-term vitamin E supplementation could reverse age-associated impairments in cognitive or motor function and the accumulated oxidative damage in the brain of aged mice. Separate groups of 5- or 20-month-old C57BL6 mice were placed on either a control diet or the same diet supplemented with α-tocopheryl acetate (1.65 g/kg). After 4 weeks on the diets, mice were tested for cognitive and motor functions over the next 8 weeks, during which the supplementation was maintained. Vitamin E supplementation increased the concentration of α-tocopherol in the cerebral cortex of both the young and old mice, but did not significantly affect oxidative damage to proteins and lipids in the brain cortex. When compared with young controls, the old control mice showed slower learning of a swim maze, longer reaction times, diminished auditory and shock-startle …