title: Region-specific changes of NOS-IR cells in the basal ganglia of the aged rat.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical postulated to act as a neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, or second messenger molecule in the central nervous system. Several findings suggest that NO production may be decreased in the aged rats. In the present study, we investigated regional discrepancies in changes with aging in the number of nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive (NOS-IR) cells in the basal ganglia of the aged rat by immunocytochemistry. The number of NOS-IR neurons in the striatum and substantia innominata of the aged rat decreased. In contrast, the number of NOS-IR neurons in the subthalamic nucleus increased in the aged rat. On the other hand, the number of NOS-IR neurons in the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle did not change. Taken together, important functional changes can be caused by the region-specific changes of NOS-IR neurons in the basal ganglia with aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, South Korea. yoonhee2@snu.ac.kr
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Baik
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; C496322:Nos1 protein, rat