衰老大鼠脑干中缝核群酪氨酸羟化酶样神经元的变化——免疫金银染色法和图像定量分析研究

本文结合免疫金银染色法和图像定量分析,观察幼年(2个月)、中年(10个月)和老年(24个月)大鼠脑干中缝核群酪氨酸羟化酶祥(THL)神经元的衰老变化,结果表明:THL神经元主要分布于中缝背核、中央上核和嘴侧线形核內;THL神经无从中年即开始丧失,到老年,其数量几乎减少1/3;图像分析表明,THL神经元的截面积随增龄而增大,但形态观察发现,老年组的阳性神经元的胞体萎缩,边缘皱折而呈不规则状,突起缩短、锐化或扭曲;THL神经元的灰度值随增龄而升高,说明儿茶酚胺的含量和转换率在衰老进程中是逐渐降低的。

CHANGES IN TYROSINE HYDROXYLASE-LIKE NEURONS OF THE BRAINSTEM RAPHE NUCLEI IN THE AGING RAT—THE IMMUNOGOLD-SILVER STAINING AND THF IMAGE QUANTITATIVE ANALYTICAL STUCY

The aging changes in tyrosine hydroxylase(TH) -like neurons of the brainstem raphe nuclei in young (2 months), adult(10 months) and old(24 months) rats were examined combining the immunogold-silver staining(IGSS) and the image quanitative analysis. In the raphe nuclei, TH-like neurons were mainly localized in the nucleus raphe dorsalis, nucles centralis superior and nucleus linealis oralis. Number of the neurens in the all nuclei began to be lost significantly from the adult, (?) the old, the number reduced by almost 1/3(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Neuronal size of the all nuclei increased slowly (P<0.01) from the young to the adult; in the old, the size continued to enlarge in the nucleus centralis superior and the nucleus raphe dorsalis( P<0.01). Gray value of the neurons in the all nuclei rose in senescence, it suggested that content and activity of catecholamine declined With aging, Morphological presents of the old neurons were that cell bodies shrinked, folded in the edges and became irregular shapes; their processes shortened, sharpened and twisted.