[The comparative characteristics of the age-related changes in the rate of fast axonal transport in the vagus and hypoglossal nerves and in the ventral spinal cord roots of rats].

The study was undertaken on the fast axonal transport (FAT) of 3H- or 14C-leucine labelled substances along the n. vagus, n. hypoglossus and ventral roots of the spinal cord in adult (8-10 months) and old (26-28 months) male rats after the label administration into nucleus ambiguus, nucleus hypoglossus, and the area of the ventral horn of the spinal cord, respectively. It has been found that in old rats compared to adult animals the rate of FAT along the n. vagus decreased from 552 +/- 12.7 mm to 252 +/- 13 mm per 24 hours; along the n. hypoglossus--from 492 +/- 38 mm to 216 mm per 24 hours; and along the ventral L5 and L6 roots--from 408 +/- 10.9 mm to 217 +/- 11.3 mm per 24 hours. It is suggested that age-related functional shifts in n. vagus influencing the heart are, to some degree, determined by the most significant disturbances of FAT substances in it.