Age-related changes in GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes in the rat ventral cochlear nucleus

The age-related changes in the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) as revealed by glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) immunoreactivity were analyzed in the following age groups: 3-, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats. A cartographic and a quantitative analysis showed a significant increase in the number of GFAP positive astrocytes during the first year of life and a significant decrease in older rats. We also observed an age-induced modification in the spatial distribution of GFAP positive astrocyte. In the anterior part of the VCN of the 3- and 6-month-old rats, we observed a significant decrease in the rostro-caudal as well in the dorso-ventral axes. In the posterior part of the VCN, a significant decrease in the dorso-ventral axis could be also observed, but no significant difference in the spatial distribution was obtained in the rostro-caudal axis. In older rats, the distribution appeared homogeneous throughout the nucleus. Additionally, aging was associated with a significant increase in GFAP positive astrocyte sizes, except for immunolabelled astrocytes in the granule cell layer. The different levels of GFAP expression occurring in the VCN during normal aging could reflect a progressive decline of cellular activity in the VCN, without severe cell degeneration or synaptic loss.