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Review
. 2023 Aug 2;78(8):1309-1319.
doi: 10.1093/gerona/glad107.

The Brain and Spinal Microvasculature in Normal Aging

Zin Z Khaing  1 , Abarajithan Chandrasekaran  1 , Anjali Katta  1 , May J Reed  2
Affiliations
Review

The Brain and Spinal Microvasculature in Normal Aging

Zin Z Khaing et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. .

Abstract

Changes in the brain and spinal cord microvasculature during normal aging contribute to the "sensitive" nature of aged central nervous system tissue to ischemic insults. In this review, we will examine alterations in the central nervous system microvasculature during normal aging, which we define as aging without a dominant pathology such as neurodegenerative processes, vascular injury or disease, or trauma. We will also discuss newer technologies to improve the study of central nervous system microvascular structure and function. Microvasculature within the brain and spinal cord will be discussed separately as anatomy and physiology differ between these compartments. Lastly, we will identify critical areas for future studies as well as key unanswered questions.

Keywords: Brain; Microvessels; Normal aging; Spinal cord.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic drawing depicting the differences in brain microvasculature and surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) in young (18–44 y, top right box) versus aged humans (65 y and older, bottom right box). Younger microvasculature is composed of less tortuous vessels, a higher degree of pericyte coverage and a thicker glycocalyx. Aged microvasculature (MV) has an increase in tortuosity in vessels, increased astrocyte and microglia count as well as a thicker basement membrane (BM) and thinner glycocalyx with less pericyte coverage. The darker colors in aged are not representative of any physical change but rather a subtle visual to represent the aged group.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Schematic drawing showing a simplified visual of the general structure and vascular architecture of the spinal cord in cross section. Relevant blood vessels are labeled as such and differences in color between white and gray matter do not depict any physiological differences.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Microvessel density within the spinal cord does not differ between young and aged rats. Tissue sections were stained with anti-Laminin antibody labeling all vasculature using standard immunohistochemistry techniques. Each whole spinal cord cross-sectional image represents a sample taken from C5 spinal cord of a male Fisher Brown-Norway (F344BN) hybrid rats from the NIA Aged Rodent Colonies (top panel). Young F344BN animals ranged from 7 to 8 months of age while aged animal ranged between 22 and 24 mo. Photomicrographs (bottom panel) depicting the microvessel density within the gray matter of the cross section are shown. The relative similarity in microvessel density in aged and young tissue are noted here. Scale bars = 100 microns. LM = laminin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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