Introduction: With aging, populations of dopaminergic neurons in the central
nervous system show prominent pathological changes compared to other brain
regions. Previous studies on substantia nigra were performed in cases of Parkinson’s
disease and in old age.
Aim of the Study: Since Parkinson’s disease is a disorder associated with age, it
is important to examine how the relationship between neurons and blood vessels is
associated with normal aging.
Patients and Methods: Ten brainstems were sliced into three strata. Each stratum
was sliced in semiserial sections and stained by Mallory method. Studied phases
were neurons and blood vessels of substantia nigra. The analysis was conducted
by camera “Leica EC3” under the 40x magnification of light microscope „Leica“
DM 1000, using ImageJ software (version 1.42 e). Determined morphometric
parameters of neurons and blood vessels were: volume and surface density, and
absolute numbers per visual field. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS
software, version 16.0, using Student’s t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient.
Results: Volume and surface density, and total number of neurons per visual field
of substantia nigra significantly decreased with age, while the volume and surface
density and absolute number of blood vessels per visual field significantly increased
(p < 0.05 ).
Conclusion: Decrease in size and number of neurons occurs with aging, which
is compensated by the increase of vascular network. This affects the supply of
nutrients from the blood to neurons, as well as the availability of blood cells or toxic
substances, but also the susceptibility to neuronal diseases.
