Age-related histomorphometrical changes in the cerebellum of autopsied elderly individuals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47456/rbps.v24i1.34720Keywords:
Cerebellum, Aging, Purkinje Cells, Granulosas CellsAbstract
Introduction: The aging process occurs in all living beings; however, it is accompanied by the incidence of several histomorphometrical changes. Those age-related changes affect mainly the central nervous system (CNS) organs and above all, the Cerebellum. Objective: to analyze the density of Purkinje cells and the thickness of the granular layer of cerebellum in old and Young-adults, also made an analysis between genders. Methods: We selected 20 autopsied individuals and grouped in: (n=10) young-adults and (n=10) old-adults and anatomically remove fragments from the vermis posterior lobe (CBV) and the right posterior lobe of the cerebellum (CBL). Both fragments proceed to histological process and hematoxylin-eosin stain protocol. Subsequently, with the computational software AxionVision (Zeiss, Germany) and a light microscope, fragments were analyzed in order to obtain density of Purkinje cells and granular layer thickness (μm) by a free interactive system Image J® (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, EUA). Results: The Old-adults group has showed a tendency of decrease on the Purkinje cells density in both analyzed areas, vermis and lateral lobe, without statistic relevance. The thickness of the granular layer has showed a significant increase on the old-age individuals in both regions. The subjects were also analyzed by gender, showing a significant decrease of the granular layer thickness in the female group on the CBV. Conclusion: The aging process leads to morphological changes in different areas of cerebellum cortex, it is seems that those age-related modifications advance different between the two genders.
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