Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 17, 2026

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
Human prefrontal cortex phospholipids containing docosahexaenoic acid increase during normal adult aging, whereas
Sarah E Norris1, Michael G Friedrich2, Todd W Mitchell1
1Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract:
Membrane phospholipids make up a substantial portion of the human brain, and changes in their amount and composition are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of age-related neurodegenerative disease. Nevertheless, little is known about the changes that phospholipids undergo during normal adult aging. This study examined changes in phospholipid composition in the mitochondrial and microsomal membranes of human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex over the adult life span. The largest age-related changes were an increase in the abundance of both mitochondrial and microsomal phosphatidylserine 18:0_22:6 by approximately one-third from age 20 to 100 years and a 25% decrease in mitochondrial phosphatidylethanolamine 18:0_20:4. Generally, increases were seen with age in phospholipids containing docosahexaenoic acid across both membrane fractions, whereas phospholipids containing either arachidonic or adrenic acid decreased with age. These findings suggest a gradual change in membrane lipid composition over the adult life span.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption

