Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9645110 | Neurobiology of Aging | 2005 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Decline of growth hormone (GH) with aging is associated to memory and cognitive alterations. In this study, the number of neurons in the hilus of the dentate gyrus has been assessed in male and female Wistar rats at 3, 6, 12, 14, 18, 22 and 24 months of age, using the optical fractionator method. Male rats had more neurons than females at all the ages studied. Significant neuronal loss was observed in both sexes between 22 and 24 months of age. In a second experiment, 22 month-old male and female rats were treated for 10 weeks with 2Â mg/kg/day of GH or saline. At 24 months of age, animals treated with GH had more neurons in the hilus than animals treated with saline. These findings indicate that GH is neuroprotective in old animals and that its administration may ameliorate neuronal alterations associated to aging.
Keywords
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Ageing
Authors
Iñigo Azcoitia, Margarita Perez-Martin, Veronica Salazar, Carmen Castillo, Carmen Ariznavarreta, Luis M. Garcia-Segura, Jesus A.F. Tresguerres,