Projects per year
Abstract
Structural plasticity of the axon initial segment (AIS), the site of action potential initiation, is observed as part of the normal early development of the cortex, as well as in association with injury and disease. Here, we show that structural AIS plasticity also occurs with normal aging in adult marmosets. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to reveal the extent of the AIS of layer 2/3A pyramidal cells in 8 neocortical areas. We found that the AIS length varied significantly between areas in young adult (2–3 years old) marmosets, with neurons in frontal area 14C having the longest AIS, and those in the primary visual cortex the shortest. Similar interareal differences were observed in aged (12–14 year old) monkeys, but the AIS was significantly shortened in many areas, relative to the corresponding length in young adults. Shortening of the AIS is likely to represent a compensatory response to changes in the excitation-inhibition balance, associated with the loss of GABAergic interneurons in the aged cortex.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 95-103 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Neurobiology of Aging |
Volume | 57 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2017 |
Keywords
- Aging
- Axon initial segment
- Excitation-inhibition balance
- Frontal pole
- Medial frontal cortex
- Visual cortex
Projects
- 2 Finished
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ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function
Egan, G., Rosa, M., Lowery, A., Stuart, G., Arabzadeh, E., Skafidas, E., Ibbotson, M., Petrou, S., Paxinos, G., Mattingley, J., Garrido, M., Sah, P., Robinson, P. A., Martin, P., Grunert, U., Tanaka, K., Mitra, P., Johnson, G., Diamond, M., Margrie, T., Leopold, D., Movshon, J., Markram, H., Victor, J., Hill, S. & Jirsa, V.
Australian National University (ANU), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zurich), Australian Research Council (ARC), Karolinska Institutet (Karolinska Institute), QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne) , Monash University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales (UNSW), University of Queensland , University of Sydney, Monash University – Internal University Contribution, NIH - National Institutes of Health (United States of America), Cornell University, New York University, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (International School for Advanced Studies), Duke University, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, RIKEN
25/06/14 → 31/12/21
Project: Research
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Neural Mechanisms of Optimal Sensory Integration
Lui, L., Price, N. & Rajan, R.
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (Australia)
1/01/14 → 31/12/17
Project: Research