title: Age-related degeneration of corpus callosum in the 90+ years measured with stereology.
abstract: The present study is aimed to assess age-related structural changes in corpus callosum with stereology in 21 postmortem human brains without neuropathology, of age 65-75 (Group A, n = 7), 80-85 (Group B, n = 7), and 94-105 (Group C, n = 7) years. Cross-sectional area, fiber number and density decrease in Group B compared with Group A, then remain unchanged in Group C. Mean fiber diameter increases with age. Cross-sectional area shows strong positive correlation to fiber numbers and negative correlation to mean fiber thickness. With age, modest but significant change in fiber size including a decrease in the percentage of 1-2-μm fibers and an increase in 2-3-μm fibers was observed. Fiber density shows a steeper decline with age in the anterior compared with posterior segments. Neurodegeneration is an ongoing process where the anterior corpus callosum is more susceptible to age-related degeneration. Corpus callosum cross-sectional area atrophy is mostly related to decline in fiber number and density rather than demyelination, with preferential disruption of small caliber fibers.
authors: Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen, NV, Denmark. forsklab@bbh.regionh.dk
authors: Jack
authors: J
authors: Hou
authors: Bente
authors: B
authors: Pakkenberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D001284:Atrophy; D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D048429:Cell Size; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019044:Image Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000473:pathology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D014855:Wallerian Degeneration / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology