Nerve growth factor, central nervous system apoptosis, and adrenocortical activity in aged Fischer-344/Brown Norway F1 hybrid rats

Giulio Taglialatela, Robert Robinson, Matthew Gegg, J. Regino Perez-Polo

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    12 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    During aging there is a progressive loss of neuronal function in the basal forebrain that results in cognitive impairment and cholinergic deficits. While altered neurotrophin (NT)-mediated signal transduction may account for some age-associated deficits, there are differences in the extent of NT responsiveness among different laboratory rat strains. Here we measured nerve growth factor (NGF) protein levels and fragmented DNA in the CNS, and basal and NGF-stimulated activity levels of the hypothalamus-pituitary- adrenocortical axis (HPAA) in 3-, 18-, and 30-month-old Fischer-344/Brown Norway rats. Our results show that while there is no age-associated differences in NGF protein levels, in aged Fischer-344/Brown Norway rats, there are increases in levels of immunoreactive fragmented DNA in the CNS and in adrenocortical responses to the peripheral administration of NGF. These data contribute to the characterization of the Fischer-344/Brown Norway F1 hybrid rat and provide baseline values useful for future studies on aged CNS.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)229-233
    Number of pages5
    JournalBrain Research Bulletin
    Volume43
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 1997

    Keywords

    • Adrenocortical axis
    • Corticosterone
    • Fragmented DNA
    • Nerve growth factor
    • Neuronal death

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Neuroscience(all)

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