Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
14:57
Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology
Published on: March 23, 2011
Aging-related changes in calcium-binding proteins in rat perirhinal cortex.
James R Moyer1, Sharon C Furtak, John P McGann
1Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States. jrmoyer@uwm.edu
Neurobiology of Aging
|November 7, 2009
Summary
Aging impairs calcium homeostasis by reducing calbindin-D28k (CB) neurons in the rat perirhinal cortex. This age-related decline in CB-immunoreactive neurons may impact learning and memory functions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Aging Research
- Calcium Signaling
Background:
- Intracellular calcium homeostasis is crucial for neuronal function and is often disrupted in aging and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs) play a key role in regulating intracellular calcium levels.
- Alterations in CaBP distribution and expression can lead to disruptions in calcium homeostasis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the aging-related changes in the laminar distribution of three key CaBPs: Calbindin-D28k (CB), parvalbumin (PV), and calretinin (CR).
- To examine these changes specifically within the rat perirhinal cortex (PR).
- To determine if age-related alterations in CaBPs contribute to neuropathological symptoms associated with aging.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical analysis of CB, PV, and CR in the perirhinal cortex of adult (4 mo.), middle-aged (13 mo.), and aged (26 mo.) rats.
- Quantitative assessment of the laminar distribution and frequency of CaBP-immunoreactive neurons.
- Dual labeling techniques to identify the neuronal populations affected by age-related changes.
Main Results:
- A significant aging-related and layer-specific decrease in the number of CB-immunoreactive (CB-ir) neurons was observed, starting in middle-aged rats.
- Dual labeling indicated that the reduction in CB-ir neurons primarily involved non-GABAergic neurons.
- No significant aging-related differences were found in the expression of parvalbumin (PV) or calretinin (CR).
Conclusions:
- Selective alterations in CB-ir neurons occur with aging in the rat perirhinal cortex.
- The age-related decrease in CB-ir neurons, particularly non-GABAergic ones, may underlie cognitive deficits, such as impaired learning and memory, associated with aging.
- These findings highlight the specific vulnerability of CB-expressing neurons to the aging process in brain regions critical for memory.
