Aging and the basal ganglia.
Age-related changes within the basal ganglia primarily affect the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway and related pigmented nuclei. These alterations resemble the pathologic changes of Parkinson's disease, but cell dropout is not as marked or uniquely selective in the aged brain. Histopathologic changes including interneuronal inclusion bodies are associated with aging, but the number and location of these suggest that this is a nonspecific phenomenon, not the harbinger of Parkinson's disease or other specific neuropathology. It appears that aging and Parkinson's disease result in similar brain cell degenerative processes, but the causes and specific triggering mechanisms for these changes are likely to be quite distinct.
Department of Neurology, Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio 53210, USA.
J P
JP
Hubble
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed