Age-related changes in the morphology of the myenteric plexus of the human colon

Aging is believed to affect the structure and function of the enteric nervous system, but little specific information on this topic is available, particularly in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of age on the structure of myenteric ganglia in the human colon. We examined myenteric ganglia in colonic specimens obtained from 168 patients aged 10 days to 91 years. Nerves were stained in whole mount preparations using the vital fluorescent dye 4-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-methylpyridinium iodide (4-Di-2-ASP) and other staining methods. Human myenteric ganglia were classified into three types: normal, those containing empty spaces ('cavities') and those containing large nerve fiber bundles. We found a statistically significant increase with age in the proportion of ganglia with cavities. Conversely, there was a decrease with age in the proportion of normal ganglia. The proportion of fiber-containing ganglia did not change with age. These findings indicate that there is an increase with age in the number of abnormally appearing myenteric ganglia in the human colon, which may contribute to the disturbed colonic motility in the aging population.