title: Level and distribution of microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP2) as an index of dendritic structural dynamics.
abstract: Optical density of MAP2 immunoreactivity (OD), the ratio between the MAP2 stained area/total test area (area fraction: AF), the total length of MAP2 labeled profiles (TL) and the ratio perimeter/area of the immunostained profiles (pleomorphism index [PI]) were measured by quantitative immunohistochemistry in the brain of rats of different ages. In old rats versus young and adult animals, OD and AF were significantly lower, whereas PI was significantly higher, in dentate gyrus molecular layer, CA1 stratum radiatum and olfactory bulb. These findings lend support to the many converging results on the higher vulnerability to aging of the CNS areas featuring higher plasticity.
authors.affiliation: INRCA Research Department, Neurobiology of Aging Laboratory, Ancona, Italy. g.distefano@inrca.it
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Stefano
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Casoli
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fattoretti
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balietti
authors.forename: Yessica
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Grossi
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Giorgetti
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bertoni-Freddari
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003712:Dendrites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins