Ultrastructure of neurons in the auditory cortex of ageing rats: a morphometric study
- 1 April 1979
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of Neurocytology
- Vol. 8 (2), 215-228
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01175562
Abstract
The cell bodies of pyramidal cells in layers II and V of rat auditory cortex were quantitatively examined in groups of rats 3, 6, 15, 23, 27 and 34–36 months of age. The mean diameters of cell bodies of both layer II and layer V neurons, as measured in 1 μm plastic sections, increased between 3 and 15 months of age, then decreased to a diameter that was less in the 36-month-old than in the 3-month-old rats. Morphometry of the nuclei of the cells was done by measuring nuclear area and nuclear envelope length directly on electron micrographs. In the layer II cells, neither parameter changed with advancing age. In the layer V cells, the mean nuclear area decreased significantly in the old animals and the mean envelope length increased. Point-counting techniques were applied to electron micrographs of cell bodies to determine the relative volume of selected organelles, inclusions and ground substance in the perikaryal cytoplasm. In this part of the study the chronological pattern of change in layer II and layer V pyramidal cells was similar. The relative volume of dense bodies increased linearly with advancing age, with a slightly more accelerated rate in layer II cells. The relative volume of ground substance remained essentially constant through 27 months, and then at 34–36 months decreased to 83% and 89% of the three-month level in layer V and layer II, respectively. The relative volume of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) did not change significantly until after 15 months, at which time it began to occupy increasingly a larger fraction of the perikaryal cytoplasm. Finally, the relative volumes of mitochondria, multivesicular bodies and Golgi apparatus did not show clear trends of change during the 33-month period.This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- Dispersion of cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum in aging CNS neurons: A strictly linear trendJournal of Anatomy, 1978
- Aging of the rat olfactory bulb: Growth and atrophy of constituent layers and changes in size and number of mitral cellsJournal of Comparative Neurology, 1977
- Changes in the Nuclear Volume of Rat Hypothalamic Neurons in Old AgeNeuroendocrinology, 1976
- A Fine Structural Study of Degenerative Changes in the Dorsal Column Nuclei of Aging Mice. Lack of Protection by Vitamin EJournal of Gerontology, 1975
- Fine structural changes in the lateral vestibular nucleus of aging ratsMechanisms of Ageing and Development, 1974
- Ultrastructural age changes in hippocampal neurons, synapses and neurogliaExperimental Gerontology, 1973
- Quantitative Histological Studies on Aging Changes in Cerebral Cortex of Rhesus Monkey and Albino Rat with Notes on Effects of Prolonged Low-Dose Ionizing Irradiation in the RatPublished by Elsevier ,1973
- Intranuclear rods and sheets in rat cochlear nucleusJournal of Neurocytology, 1972
- Intranuclear Inclusions in Neurones and Glia: a Study in the Ageing MouseGerontology, 1971
- The Amount and Distribution of Pigments in Neurons and Glia of the Cerebral Cortex. Autofluorescent and Ultrastructural StudiesJournal of Gerontology, 1969