Ultrastructural changes in the neurohypophysis of the aged male rat

The neurohypophyses (neural lobes of the pituitary) of young adult (3-6 months) and aged (12-30 months) male rats were studied by means of electron microscopy. Stereomorphometric analyses were performed to determine the size, number and relative volume of the hormone-containing vesicles. The principal observations included: 1) the conspicuous depletion in aged rats of the granular hormone-containing vesicles from the axon terminals and the Herring bodies, with a decrease in the relative volume fraction of the vesicles from 4.8 Vv% in the control animals to 1.1 Vv% in the aged rats; 2) a change in the size-distribution of the hormone vesicles; 3) an increase in the extracellular space around the nerve terminals, axons and capillaries; and 4) lipid accumulations and signs of activation in the pituicytes. The possible physiological significance of the findings is discussed in the light of several regulatory functions known to be altered during the process of ageing.