The Density of Perineuronal Nets Increases With Age in the Inferior Colliculus in the Fischer Brown Norway Rat.

Title

The Density of Perineuronal Nets Increases With Age in the Inferior Colliculus in the Fischer Brown Norway Rat.

Creator

Mafi Amir M; Hofer Lindsay N; Russ Matthew G; Young Jesse W; Mellott Jeffrey G

Publisher

Frontiers in aging neuroscience

Date

2020
1905-07

Description

Age-related hearing loss, one of the most frequently diagnosed disabilities in industrialized countries, may result from declining levels of GABA in the aging inferior colliculus (IC). However, the mechanisms of aging and subsequent disruptions of temporal processing in elderly hearing abilities are still being investigated. Perineuronal nets (PNs) are a specialized form of the extracellular matrix and have been linked to GABAergic neurotransmission and to the regulation of structural and synaptic plasticity. We sought to determine whether the density of PNs in the IC changes with age. We combined Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA) staining with immunohistochemistry to glutamic acid decarboxylase in three age groups of Fischer Brown Norway (FBN) rats. The density of PNs on GABAergic and non-GABAergic cells in the three major subdivisions of the IC was quantified. Results first demonstrate that the density of PNs in the FBN IC increase with age. The greatest increases of PN density from young to old age occurred in the central IC (67% increase) and dorsal IC (117% increase). Second, in the young IC, PNs surround non-GABAergic and GABAergic cells with the majority of PNs surrounding the former. The increase of PNs with age in the IC occurred on both non-GABAergic and GABAergic populations. The average density of PN-surrounded non-GABAergic cells increased from 84.9 PNs/mm(2) in the young to 134.2 PNs/mm(2) in the old. While the density of PN-surrounded GABAergic cells increased from 26 PNs/mm(2) in the young to 40.6 PNs/mm(2) in the old. The causality is unclear, but increases in PN density in old age may play a role in altered auditory processing in the elderly, or may lead to further changes in IC plasticity.

Subject

aging; inferior colliculus; GABAergic; perineuronal nets; Wisteria floribunda agglutinin

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Format

Journal Article

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Pages

27-27

Volume

12

NEOMED College

NEOMED College of Medicine

NEOMED Department

Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology; NEOMED Student Publications

Update Year & Number

March 2020 Update

Citation

Mafi Amir M; Hofer Lindsay N; Russ Matthew G; Young Jesse W; Mellott Jeffrey G, “The Density of Perineuronal Nets Increases With Age in the Inferior Colliculus in the Fischer Brown Norway Rat.,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed March 28, 2024, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/10968.