Age-related neuronal loss in the rat brain starts at the end of adolescence
Open accessAbstract
Aging-related changes in the brain have been mostly studied through the comparison of young adult and very old animals. However, aging must be considered a lifelong process of cumulative changes that ultimately become evident at old age. To determine when this process of decline begins, we studied how the cellular composition of the rat brain changes from infancy to adolescence, early adulthood, and old age. Using the isotropic fractionator to determine total numbers of neuronal and non-neuronal cells in different brain areas, we find that a major increase in number of neurons occurs during adolescence, between 1 and 2-3 months of age, followed by a significant trend of widespread and progressive neuronal loss that begins as early as 3 months of age, when neuronal numbers are maximal in all structures, until decreases in numbers of neurons become evident at 12 or 22 months of age. Our findings indicate that age-related decline in the brain begins as soon as the end of adolescence, a novel finding has important clinical and social implications for public health and welfare.
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Age-dependent loss of cerebellar mass and neuronal numbers implies ongoing cell death.
“While the age-dependent loss of cerebellar mass and neuronal numbers3,4 implies ongoing cell death, we could not detect dying cells in the cerebellum of adult wild-type mice.”
From Epigenetic regulation of brain region-specific microglia clearance activity (2018) · cites this paper as [4]
The cerebellum displays the most pronounced age-dependent neuronal loss, with neuronal numbers starting to decline at the end of adolescence.
“One of the brain regions displaying the most pronounced age-dependent neuronal loss is the cerebellum, where neuronal numbers start declining at the end of adolescence3,4.”
From Epigenetic regulation of brain region-specific microglia clearance activity (2018) · cites this paper as [4]
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- Authors
- Morterá, P., & Herculano-Houzel, S.
- Venue
- Frontiers in Neuroanatomy
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2012
- Volume
- 6
- Pages
- 45-45
- ISSN
- 1662-5129 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3481355
- OpenAlex
- W2125356807
- Cited by
- 79
- References
- 71
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 0.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Frontiers in Neuroanatomy (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- James S. McDonnell Foundation
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Neurociência Translacional
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Aging › Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Keywords
- age-related neuronal loss, brain aging, adolescence, neuron number, non-neuronal cells, rat brain
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