Distribution of AMPA receptor subunits in the nucleus basalis of Meynert in aged humans: implications for selective neuronal degeneration.
Immunocytochemical techniques using polyclonal antibodies directed against GluR1 and GluR2/3 subunits of the AMPA-selective receptor complex were used to examine the distribution of these receptor subunits within the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) of non-demented elderly humans. Both somata and processes of magnocellular neurons within the NBM were intensely immunoreactive to GluR1 antibodies. In contrast, within the same region GluR2/3 immunolabeling was largely absent, although GluR2/3-positive neurons were abundantly distributed within adjacent brain regions (i.e., amygdala, entorhinal cortex and hippocampus). These data suggest that NBM neurons may be unique compared to those of other brain regions, in their response to glutamatergic excitation as mediated via non-NMDA receptors and be particularly vulnerable to glutamate excitotoxicity via a mechanism involving the destabilization of intracellular calcium.
Ikonomovic
M D
MD
ASRI, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, USA.
Armstrong
D M
DM
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000378:metabolism*; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism; D013377:Substantia Innominata / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate