Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Dopamine transporter-immunoreactive neurons decrease with age in the human substantia nigra.

S Y Ma1, B J Ciliax, G Stebbins

  • 1Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.

The Journal of Comparative Neurology
|June 11, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

An interim exploratory proteomics biomarker analysis of a phase 2 clinical trial to assess the impact of CT1812 in Alzheimer's disease.

Neurobiology of disease·2024
Same author

Radio-Pathomic Maps of Cell Density Identify Brain Tumor Invasion beyond Traditional MRI-Defined Margins.

AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology·2022
Same author

Regional binding of tau and amyloid PET tracers in Down syndrome autopsy brain tissue.

Molecular neurodegeneration·2020
Same author

HDAC2 dysregulation in the nucleus basalis of Meynert during the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Neuropathology and applied neurobiology·2018
Same author

Alpha-2 macroglobulin in Alzheimer's disease: a marker of neuronal injury through the RCAN1 pathway.

Molecular psychiatry·2016
Same author

Hippocampal plasticity during the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Neuroscience·2015
Same journal

Inner Ear Anatomy of Caenagnathidae (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria) Emphasizes Mosaic Evolution of the Avian Neurosensory System.

The Journal of comparative neurology·2026
Same journal

Inhibitory Neurons in Human Anterior Entorhinal Cortex and Some Comparisons With the Rhesus Monkey.

The Journal of comparative neurology·2026
Same journal

In Situ Hybridization Chain Reaction and Immunohistochemical Labeling of the Octopamine Production Pathway in the Central Nervous System of Lymnaea stagnalis.

The Journal of comparative neurology·2026
Same journal

Innervation Pattern of Inhibitory Projection Neurons in the Bird Sound Localization Circuit.

The Journal of comparative neurology·2026
Same journal

Mu Opioid Receptor mRNA and Protein Localization Across the Rat and Mouse Habenula.

The Journal of comparative neurology·2026
Same journal

Proline-Rich Transmembrane Protein 2 Is Variably Expressed Across Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurons in Mouse Motor Circuits.

The Journal of comparative neurology·2026
See all related articles

The number of dopamine transporter (DAT) neurons in the substantia nigra significantly decreases with age, with intense DAT neurons declining sharply and light DAT neurons increasing. This age-related neuronal change impacts brain function.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Aging Research
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • The substantia nigra contains dopaminergic neurons crucial for motor control.
  • Dopamine transporter (DAT) is a key marker for dopaminergic neurons.
  • Age-related changes in neuronal populations can impact brain function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify age-related changes in dopamine transporter (DAT)-immunoreactive neurons in the human substantia nigra.
  • To investigate the relationship between DAT expression levels and neuronal aging.
  • To establish baseline DAT neuron counts across different age groups.

Main Methods:

  • Unbiased stereologic cell counting was used on human substantia nigra sections.
  • Immunohistochemistry with a monoclonal antibody against DAT was performed.

Related Experiment Videos

  • DAT-immunoreactive neurons were classified into three types based on staining intensity (type 1: intense, type 2: light, type 3: immunonegative).
  • Neuron counts were normalized by calculating the ratio of DAT-containing neurons to neuromelanin-containing cells.

    • Main Results:

    • A significant decrease in intensely stained DAT neurons (type 1) was observed with aging (P < 0.0001).
    • Lightly stained DAT neurons (type 2) and DAT-immunonegative neurons (type 3) increased with age (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.01, respectively).
    • Type 1 neurons decreased by 11.2% per decade, and total nigral neurons decreased by 6.7% per decade.
    • Middle-aged and aged groups showed substantial reductions in type 1 neurons (75% and 88%) compared to the young group.

    Conclusions:

    • There is a significant age-related decline in the number of substantia nigra DAT-immunoreactive neurons, particularly the intensely stained type.
    • The observed shifts in DAT neuron populations suggest complex compensatory mechanisms or neurodegenerative processes during aging.
    • Understanding DAT synthesis regulation may be key to comprehending age-related functional declines associated with DAT changes.