Summary
An electron microscopic morphometric analysis of the volume density of mitochondria and boutons in the dentate gyrus molecular layer was carried out in young (3–4 months old) and aged (26–27 months old) Wistar rats. This study showed that the volume fraction of mitochondria per unit volume of the neuropil in aged rats did not differ significantly from that in young animals. The comparison of different zones of the molecular layer (supragranular, inner, middle and outer zone) showed a significant increase in the mitochondrial volume density from the supragranular to the outer zone in both animal groups. These stereologic results are discussed in relation to the histochemical pattern of the mitochondrial enzymes in young and aged rats. Only in the supragranular zone was there a statistically significant difference in the volume density of boutons, i.e. aged rats showed about a 20% higher volume density than did young rats. It is suspected that this increase in bouton volume density could be due to the agerelated atrophy of smaller dendritic shafts previously reported in senescent Fischer rats.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Blackstad TW (1958) On the termination of some afferents to the hippocampus and fascia dentata. An experimental study in the rat. Acta Anat 35:202–214
Brinck U, Kugler P (1988) Elektronenmikroskopisch-morphometrische Untersuchungen am Hippocampus der NZB-Maus. Z Mikrosk Anat Forsch 102:445–460
Chalkley HW (1943) Methods for quantitative morphological analysis of tissue. J Natl Cancer Inst 4:47
Geinisman Y, Bondareff W, Dodge JT (1978) Dendritic atrophy in the dentate gyrus of the senescent rat. Am J Anat 152:321–330
Gottlieb DJ, Cowan WM (1972) Evidence for a temporal factor in the occupation of available synaptic sites during the development of the dentate gyrus. Brain Res 41:452–456
Gottlieb DJ, Cowan WM (1973) Autoradiographic studies of the commissural and ipsilateral association connections of the hippocampus and dentate gyrus of the rat. I. The commissural connections. J Comp Neurol 149:393–421
Ibata Y, Desiraju T, Pappas GD (1971) Light and electron microscopic study of the projection of the medial septal nucleus to the hippocampus of the cat. Exp Neurol 33:103–122
Kugler P (1982) On angiotensin-degrading aminopeptidases in the rat kidney. Adv Anat Embryol Cell Biol Vol 76
Kugler P (1988) Quantitative Histochemie von Enzymen des Energiemetabolismus im Hippocampus alter Ratten. Verh Anat Ges (in press)
Kugler P, Vogel S, Gehm M (1988) Quantitative succinate dehydrogenase histochemistry in the hippocampus of aged rats. Histochemistry 88:299–307
Laatsch RH, Cowan WM (1966) Electron microscopic studies of the dentate gyrus of the rat. I. Normal structure with special reference to synaptic organization. J Comp Neurol 128:359–396
Lewis PR, Knight DP (1977) Staining methods for sectioned material. North Holland, Amsterdam New York Oxford, pp 25–53
Miquel J, Economos AC, Fleming J, Johnson JE (1980) Mitochondrial role in cell ageing. Exp Gerontol 15:575–591
Mosko S, Lynch G, Cotman CW (1973) The distribution of septal projections to the hippocampus of the rat. J Comp Neurol 152:163–174
Nafstad PHJ (1967) An electron microscope study on the termination of the perforant path fibres in the hippocampus and the fascia dentata. Z Zellforsch 76:532–542
Nafstad PHJ, Blackstad TW (1966) Distribution of mitochondria in pyramidal cells and boutons in hippocampal cortex. Z Zellforsch 73:234–245
Richardson KC, Jarett L, Finke EH (1960) Embedding in epoxyresins for ultrathin sectioning in electron microscopy. Stain Technol 35:297–304
Sachs L (1974) Angewandte Statistik. 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Scheff SW, Anderson KJ, De Kosky ST (1985) Strain comparison of synaptic density in hippocampal CAl of aged rats. Neurobiol Aging 6:29–34
Weibel RW (1979) Stereological methods. Vol. 1: Practical methods for biological morphometry. Academic Press, London New York Sydney San Francisco
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Toussaint, C., Kugler, P. Morphometric analysis of mitochondria and boutons in the dentate gyrus molecular layer of aged rats. Anat Embryol 179, 411–414 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305068
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305068