Varea Emilio, Castillo-Gómez Esther, Gómez-Climent María Angeles, Guirado Ramón, Blasco-Ibáñez José Miguel, Crespo Carlos, Martínez-Guijarro Francisco José, Nácher Juan
Neurobiology Unit and Program in Basic and Applied Neurosciences, Cell Biology Dpt., Universitat de València, Dr. Moliner 50, Burjassot 46100, Spain.
Neurobiol Aging. 2009 May;30(5):808-18. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2007.08.016. Epub 2007 Sep 29.
Changes in the ability of neuronal networks to undergo structural remodeling may be involved in the age-associated cognitive decline. The polysialylated form of the neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) declines dramatically during postnatal development, but persists in several regions of the young-adult rat telencephalon, where it participates, through its anti-adhesive properties, in neuronal structural plasticity. However, PSA-NCAM expression during aging has only been studied in the dentate gyrus and the piriform cortex layer II, where it is strongly downregulated in adult (middle-aged) individuals. Using immunohistochemistry, we have observed that in most of the telencephalic areas studied the number of PSA-NCAM expressing cells and the intensity of PSA-NCAM expression in the neuropil remains stable during aging. Old rats only show decreases in the number of PSA-NCAM expressing cells in the lateral amygdala and retrosplenial cortex, and in neuropil expression of stratum lucidum. Given the role of PSA-NCAM in neuronal plasticity, the present results indicate that, even during aging, many regions of the CNS may display neurite, spine or synaptic remodeling.
神经网络进行结构重塑能力的变化可能与年龄相关的认知衰退有关。神经细胞黏附分子的多唾液酸化形式（PSA-NCAM）在出生后发育过程中急剧下降，但在成年大鼠端脑的几个区域持续存在，它通过其抗黏附特性参与神经元结构可塑性。然而，衰老过程中PSA-NCAM的表达仅在齿状回和梨状皮层II层进行了研究，在成年（中年）个体中它在这些区域被强烈下调。使用免疫组织化学方法，我们观察到在大多数研究的端脑区域，衰老过程中表达PSA-NCAM的细胞数量以及神经毡中PSA-NCAM表达的强度保持稳定。老年大鼠仅在外侧杏仁核和脾后皮质中表达PSA-NCAM的细胞数量以及透明层的神经毡表达出现减少。鉴于PSA-NCAM在神经元可塑性中的作用，目前的结果表明，即使在衰老过程中，中枢神经系统的许多区域仍可能表现出神经突、棘或突触重塑。
