title: Age-related dendritic and spinal alterations of pyramidal cells of the human visual cortex.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Normal aging is characterized by deterioration of visual abilities, affecting mainly visual acuity, contrast and wavelength sensitivity. In the present study we attempted to describe the morphological and morphometric alterations of the dendrites and the dendritic spines of the pyramidal cells of the visual cortex during normal aging, in order to approach the visual impairment of aged individuals from a neuropathological point of view.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the visual cortex in 20 brains using the Golgi technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In pyramidal cells, which represent the majority of cortical neurons, age-related pathology can be observed in cell somata as well as, most importantly, in dendrite number and morphology. The apical dendrites of some pyramidal cells are distorted and tortuous. Horizontal dendritic arborization is also severely decreased. These alterations were more prominent in the corticocortical pyramidal neurons of the 5th layer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The morphological and morphometric assessment of the dendrites and the dendritic spines in the visual cortex in normal aging revealed substantial alterations of the dendritic arborization and marked loss of the dendritic spines, which may be related to visual impairment even in normal aging.
authors.affiliation: Ioannis A. Mavroudis, Laboratory of Neuropathology and Electron Microscopy, 1st Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki 54006, Greece, phone: +302310993301, fax: +302310994712, e-mail: iamav79@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ioannis A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Mavroudis
authors.forename: Marina G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Manani
authors.forename: Foivos
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petrides
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dados
authors.forename: Alin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ciobica
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Padurariu
authors.forename: Konstantina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Petsoglou
authors.forename: Samuel N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Njau
authors.forename: Vasiliki G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Stavros J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Baloyannis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000473:pathology; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000473:pathology*