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Unbiased Stereological Analysis of Reactive Astrogliosis to Estimate Age-Associated Cerebral White Matter Injury.
- Source :
-
Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology [J Neuropathol Exp Neurol] 2016 Jun; Vol. 75 (6), pp. 539-54. Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 May 03. - Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Cerebral white matter injury (WMI) contributes to cognitive dysfunction associated with pathological aging. Because reactive astrocyte-related factors contribute to remyelination failure after WMI, we sought accurate, cost-effective, and reproducible histopathological approaches for quantification of morphometric features of reactive astrogliosis in aged human white matter in patients with vascular brain injury (VBI). We compared 7 distinct approaches to quantify the features of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-labeled astrocytes in the prefrontal white matter of brains from patients with VBI (nā=ā17, mean age 88.8 years) and controls that did not exhibit VBI (nā=ā11, mean age 86.6 years). Only modern stereological techniques (ie, optical fractionator and spaceballs) and virtual process thickness measurements demonstrated significant changes in astrocyte number, process length, or proximal process thickness in cases with VBI relative to controls. The widely employed methods of neuropathological scoring, antibody capture assay (histelide), area fraction fractionator, and Cavalieri point counting failed to detect significant differences in GFAP expression between the groups. Unbiased stereological approaches and virtual thickness measurements provided the only sensitive and accurate means to quantify astrocyte reactivity as a surrogate marker of WMI in human brains with VBI.<br /> (© 2016 American Association of Neuropathologists, Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging metabolism
Animals
Cerebrovascular Trauma metabolism
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Gliosis metabolism
Humans
Leukoencephalopathies metabolism
Male
Population Surveillance
White Matter metabolism
White Matter pathology
Aging pathology
Cerebrovascular Trauma pathology
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein biosynthesis
Gliosis pathology
Leukoencephalopathies pathology
Stereotaxic Techniques
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1554-6578
- Volume :
- 75
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 27142644
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlw032