Golgi study of the mouse striatum: age-related dendritic changes in different neuronal populations

The Van der Loos modification of the Golgi-Cox method and morphometric analyses were used to study the neuronal types in the striatum of adult (3, 6, and 10 months) and aged (20, 25, and 30 months) C57BL/6N mice. In adult mice six types of striatal neurons were distinguished primarily on the basis of the morphology of their cell body and dendrites. Each of these types was compared with morphologically similar neurons from previous Golgi classifications in other species and discussed within the framework of recent immunocytochemical work. With similar methods the age-related changes occurring on the dendrites of three of the six striatal types were also analyzed. In the medium-sized neuron with spine-laden dendrites, various dendritic tree shapes and sizes were distinguished in all age groups studied. Qualitative observations as well as measurements of total dendritic length per cell suggested that the dendrites in this type may both grow and regress throughout the life span, although signs of dendritic atrophy and regression were observed only in the aged groups. In the other two types of neuron, one a medium aspiny cell with thin varicose dendrites and the other a large spiny neuron with many dendrites, measurements of total dendritic lengths revealed sustained growth of the tree well into advanced age, followed by moderate regression in the oldest groups. The present findings also indicate that the dendrites of each type of striatal neuron follow unique temporal patterns of growth and regression during the life span of the mouse.