PMID- 23447617
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20130422
LR  - 20211021
IS  - 1529-2401 (Electronic)
IS  - 0270-6474 (Print)
IS  - 0270-6474 (Linking)
VI  - 33
IP  - 9
DP  - 2013 Feb 27
TI  - Altered synaptic dynamics during normal brain aging.
PG  - 4094-104
LID - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4825-12.2013 [doi]
AB  - What is the neuroanatomical basis for the decline in brain function that occurs 
      during normal aging? Previous postmortem studies have blamed it on a reduction in 
      spine density, though results remain controversial and spine dynamics were not 
      assessed. We used chronic in vivo two-photon imaging of dendritic spines and 
      axonal boutons in somatosensory cortex for up to 1 year in thy1 GFP mice to test 
      the hypothesis that aging is associated with alterations in synaptic dynamics. We 
      find that the density of spines and en passant boutons (EPBs) in pyramidal cells 
      increases throughout adult life but is stable between mature (8-15 months) and 
      old (>20 months) mice. However, new spines and EPBs are two to three times more 
      likely to be stabilized over 30 d in old mice, although the long-term retention 
      (over months) of stable spines is lower in old animals. In old mice, spines are 
      smaller on average but are still able to make synaptic connections regardless of 
      their size, as assessed by serial section electron microscopy reconstructions of 
      previously imaged dendrites. Thus, our data suggest that age-related deficits in 
      sensory perception are not associated with synapse loss in somatosensory cortex 
      (as might be expected) but with alterations in the size and stability of spines 
      and boutons observed in this brain area. The changes we describe here likely 
      result in weaker synapses that are less capable of short-term plasticity in aged 
      individuals, and therefore to less efficient circuits.
FAU - Mostany, Ricardo
AU  - Mostany R
AD  - Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of 
      California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. rmostany@tulane.edu
FAU - Anstey, James E
AU  - Anstey JE
FAU - Crump, Kerensa L
AU  - Crump KL
FAU - Maco, Bohumil
AU  - Maco B
FAU - Knott, Graham
AU  - Knott G
FAU - Portera-Cailliau, Carlos
AU  - Portera-Cailliau C
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - J Neurosci
JT  - The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for 
      Neuroscience
JID - 8102140
RN  - 147336-22-9 (Green Fluorescent Proteins)
SB  - IM
MH  - Age Factors
MH  - *Aging
MH  - Animals
MH  - Dendritic Spines/*physiology/ultrastructure
MH  - Female
MH  - Green Fluorescent Proteins/genetics/metabolism
MH  - Imaging, Three-Dimensional
MH  - Male
MH  - Mice
MH  - Mice, Transgenic
MH  - Microscopy, Confocal
MH  - Microscopy, Electron
MH  - Neurons/*physiology/ultrastructure
MH  - Probability
MH  - Somatosensory Cortex/*cytology/ultrastructure
MH  - Synapses/*physiology/ultrastructure
PMC - PMC6619332
EDAT- 2013/03/01 06:00
MHDA- 2013/04/23 06:00
PMCR- 2013/08/27
CRDT- 2013/03/01 06:00
PHST- 2013/03/01 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2013/03/01 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2013/04/23 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2013/08/27 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 33/9/4094 [pii]
AID - 3824324 [pii]
AID - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4825-12.2013 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Neurosci. 2013 Feb 27;33(9):4094-104. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4825-12.2013.