Cha C I, Sohn S G, Chung Y H, Shin C, Baik S H
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, South Korea.
Brain Res. 2000 Jan 31;854(1-2):239-44. doi: 10.1016/s0006-8993(99)02279-9.
Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical postulated to act as a neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, or second messenger molecule in the central nervous system. Several findings suggest that NO production may be decreased in the aged rats. In the present study, we investigated regional discrepancies in changes with aging in the number of nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive (NOS-IR) cells in the basal ganglia of the aged rat by immunocytochemistry. The number of NOS-IR neurons in the striatum and substantia innominata of the aged rat decreased. In contrast, the number of NOS-IR neurons in the subthalamic nucleus increased in the aged rat. On the other hand, the number of NOS-IR neurons in the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle did not change. Taken together, important functional changes can be caused by the region-specific changes of NOS-IR neurons in the basal ganglia with aging.
一氧化氮（NO）是一种自由基，被认为在中枢神经系统中充当神经递质、神经调质或第二信使分子。多项研究结果表明，老年大鼠体内一氧化氮的生成可能会减少。在本研究中，我们通过免疫细胞化学方法，调查了老年大鼠基底神经节中一氧化氮合酶免疫反应性（NOS-IR）细胞数量随衰老的区域差异变化。老年大鼠纹状体和无名质中NOS-IR神经元的数量减少。相比之下，老年大鼠丘脑底核中NOS-IR神经元的数量增加。另一方面，伏隔核和嗅结节中NOS-IR神经元的数量没有变化。综上所述，随着衰老，基底神经节中NOS-IR神经元的区域特异性变化可导致重要的功能改变。
