Cerebral Cortex, Vol 8, 671-684, Copyright © 1998 by Oxford University Press
A Peters, C Sethares and MB Moss
The effect of age on layer 1 of area 46 of prefrontal cortex was determined
in the cerebral cortices of 15 rhesus monkeys, 13 of which had been
behaviorally tested. Five of the monkeys were young (5-7 years of age),
three were middle-aged (9-12 years) and seven were old (24-32 years). It
was found that with age, layer 1 becomes significantly thinner and the
glial limiting membrane becomes thicker. Counts of synapses in layer 1 of
seven of these monkeys using the physical disector method on thin sections
revealed that compared to young monkeys, there is a 30-60% reduction in the
density of synapses per unit volume in old monkeys. This loss of synapses
is accompanied by a reduction in the frequency of profiles of postsynaptic
dendrites and their spines from the neuropil of layer 1, indicating that
some spiny dendrites that belong to the apical dendritic tufts of pyramidal
cells are degenerating and being lost with age. Correlation of these
morphological changes with the behavioral data shows that there is a
significant correlation between the thickness of layer 1 and memory
function, as measured by the 2 min delay condition of the delayed non-
matching to sample task. Also, there is significant correlation between the
numerical density of synapses in layer 1 and three of the behavioral
measures used, as well as the Cognitive Impairment Index. Thus, the changes
that occur with age in layer 1 provide one possible basis for the
age-related cognitive impairment evidenced in monkeys and humans alike.
ARTICLES
The effects of aging on layer 1 in area 46 of prefrontal cortex in the rhesus monkey
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, MA 02118, USA. apeters@cajal-1.bu.edu
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