title: Postnatal development and age-related changes in the distribution of nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive neurons in the visual system of rats.
abstract: We have determined postnatal development and age-related changes in the distribution of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the visual system including superior colliculus (SC), dorsal nucleus of lateral geniculate body (dLGB) and visual cortex of rats. In SC, the number and intensity of immunoreactive cells were increased until postnatal day 21 (P21), and were comparably decreased during the following days. Both neurons and neuropil were intensely stained in dLGB at P21, and the staining intensity was decreased in aged rats. The number of nNOS-immunoreactive cells was increased from P7 to P28 and was decreased in aged rats. The first demonstration of different staining patterns in SC, dLGB and visual cortex during the postnatal days and aging suggests that NO may mediate both postnatal refinement and age-associated visual deficits in some brain regions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-Dong, Chongno-Gu, Seoul 110-799, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Kyeung Min
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Yun Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Dong Hoon
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Choong Ik
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Cha
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; C496322:Nos1 protein, rat