Hair cell numbers do not decrease in the crista ampullaris of geriatric gerbils

Among the geriatric population, dizziness and falling are serious problems. One system involved in balance that may change with age is the vestibular system. A common assertion is that the number of vestibular hair cells decreases as age increases. Our goal was to quantitate the number of hair cells in young and old gerbils and document the decrease. We used physical dissector design-based stereological procedures on serial 2-microm sections through the crista ampullaris. Between young and aged gerbils, there were no quantitative differences in the number, density, or types of hair cells or the length of the crista ampullaris. This lack of change in the number of hair cells suggests that the cause for vestibular dysfunction during aging must lie elsewhere.