Disturbances of the neuronal calcium homeostasis in the aging nervous system

Maintenance of the cellular calcium homeostasis plays an important role for neuronal cell function and interneuronal cell to cell communication. Therefore, alterations of the neuronal Ca2+ homeostasis may play a crucial role for brain aging in general and for age-related deficits in cognitive functions particularly. Numerous studies indicate various disturbances of the Ca2+ homeostasis on different levels like Ca2+ channel properties, 45Ca2+ uptake, or Ca2+ binding proteins. Investigations on alterations of the free intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in presynaptic synaptosomal preparations led to inconsistent results reporting increased or unchanged [Ca2+]i in aged animals. Postsynaptic alterations of [Ca2+]i have been investigated mainly indirectly by electrophysiological methods and revealed prolonged Ca2+-dependent afterhyperpolarization or prolonged Ca2+ spike duration. By using acutely dissociated mouse brain cells it was possible for the first time to evaluate age-dependent alterations of postsynaptic [Ca2+]i directly. In neurons of aged mice basal [Ca2+]i was reduced and depolarization-induced rise in [Ca2+]i was also reduced, probably as a result of increased activation of Ca2+-dependent mechanisms terminating Ca2+-influx. Depolarization-induced, Ca2+-mediated inositolphosphate accumulation was also increased in aged animals. This leads to the conclusion that Ca2+-dependent intracellular processes become more sensitive during aging. Investigations about the effect of β-amyloid on the Ca2+ homeostasis in the same system revealed a small but consistent destabilizating effect of this peptide on K+-induced rise in [Ca2+]i which may result in chronically increased neuronal vulnerability. Together with increased Ca2+ sensitivity during aging this might be one of the reasons for the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with aging.