PMID- 17507114
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20090123
LR  - 20131121
IS  - 1558-1497 (Electronic)
IS  - 0197-4580 (Linking)
VI  - 29
IP  - 11
DP  - 2008 Nov
TI  - The length of hippocampal cholinergic fibers is reduced in the aging brain.
PG  - 1666-79
AB  - Cholinergic deficits occur in the aged hippocampus and they are significant in 
      Alzheimer's disease. Using stereological and biochemical approaches, we 
      characterized the cholinergic septohippocampal pathway in old (24 months) and 
      young adult (3 months) rats. The total length of choline acetyltransferase 
      (ChAT)-positive fibers in the dorsal hippocampus was significantly decreased by 
      32% with aging (F((1,9))=20.94, p=0.0014), along with the levels of 
      synaptophysin, a presynaptic marker. No significant changes were detected in ChAT 
      activity or in the amounts of ChAT protein, nerve growth factor (NGF), 
      brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tropomyosin related kinase receptor 
      (Trk) A, TrkB, or p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) in the aged dorsal 
      hippocampus. The number and size of ChAT-positive neurons and the levels of ChAT 
      activity, NGF and BDNF were not statistically different in the septum of aged and 
      young adult rats. This study suggests that substantial synaptic loss and 
      cholinergic axonal degeneration occurs during aging and reinforces the importance 
      of therapies that can protect axons and promote their growth in order to restore 
      cholinergic neurotransmission.
FAU - Ypsilanti, Athena Rebecca
AU  - Ypsilanti AR
AD  - Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, 
      University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
FAU - Girao da Cruz, M Teresa
AU  - Girao da Cruz MT
FAU - Burgess, Alison
AU  - Burgess A
FAU - Aubert, Isabelle
AU  - Aubert I
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20070515
PL  - United States
TA  - Neurobiol Aging
JT  - Neurobiology of aging
JID - 8100437
RN  - 0 (Neurotransmitter Agents)
RN  - N9YNS0M02X (Acetylcholine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Acetylcholine/*metabolism
MH  - Aging/*metabolism/*pathology
MH  - Animals
MH  - Cell Size
MH  - Hippocampus/*cytology/*metabolism
MH  - Nerve Fibers/*metabolism/*ultrastructure
MH  - Neurotransmitter Agents/*metabolism
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Inbred F344
EDAT- 2007/05/18 09:00
MHDA- 2009/01/24 09:00
CRDT- 2007/05/18 09:00
PHST- 2006/09/03 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2007/02/10 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2007/04/04 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2007/05/18 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2009/01/24 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2007/05/18 09:00 [entrez]
AID - S0197-4580(07)00162-5 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2007.04.001 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Neurobiol Aging. 2008 Nov;29(11):1666-79. doi: 
      10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2007.04.001. Epub 2007 May 15.