DOPAMINERGIC MESENCEPHALIC SYSTEMS AND MOTOR PERFORMANCE IN VERY OLD RATS

SANCHEZ H.L.; SILVA L.; PORTIANSKY E.; HEREÑÚ C.B.; GOYA G.R.; ZUCCOLILLI G.O.

Elsevier ELS

Año: 2008 vol. 154 p. 1598 - 1598

b> Abstract—Morphologic and functional studies describing the impact of aging on mesencephalic dopaminergic (DA) neurons in laboratory animals are rather scanty and inconclusive. In rats, stereological studies characterizing age changes in the mesencephalic DA neurons have not been documented. In order to fill this information gap and to determine whether the very old rat may serve as a suitable animal model of Parkinson’s disease, we performed a stereological assessment of the mesencephalic tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (TH-ir) neurons in young-adult (4–6 months), old (22–24 months) and senile (30–32 months) Sprague–Dawley female rats. Morphometric analysis of the TH-ir neurons of the substantia nigr