Morphological basics for reorganization of the rat cerebellar cortex during senescence

摘要

A histological and immunohistochemical investigation of the cerebellar cortex was performed in senescent (36-month-old) versus young (3-month-old) Wistar rats. In senescent animals, the cerebellar cortex typically displays degeneration of the Purkinje cells accompanied by a loss of the calcium-binding protein calbindin. This finding suggests that the presence of calbindin in the Purkinje cells is a criterion of their functional activity. Degeneration of the Purkinje cells is also accompanied by a lesion of the synaptophysin-containing basket-cell networks indicative of impaired function of inhibitory (GABAergic) axo-axonal synapses. During senescence, significant reorganization occurs in the glomeruli of the cerebellar granular layer responsible for primary analysis of afferent information. The synaptophysin-reactive glomerular structures in the cerebellum of senescent animals disintegrate reflecting an alteration in the transmission of sensory information from the cerebrum to cerebellum.