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NADPH‐diaphorase activity in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus of rats during aging

Neurons in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus are key elements in the visual system of rodents since they receive extensive afferent projections from retinal ganglion cells. The NADPH‐diaphorase histochemical technique was used to detect differences in neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus (sSC) of young adult (3 months) and aged (24 and 26 months) rats. The orientation of the dendritic processes of NADPH‐diaphorase‐positive neurons, cross‐sectional area, and number of neurons per mm2 were analyzed. NADPH‐d histochemistry revealed a high number of NADPH‐d‐positive cells in the stratum zonale and stratum griseum superficiale in adult and aged animals. NADPH‐d‐positive neurons were classified into the following morphological types: marginal, horizontal, pyriform, narrow‐field vertical, wide‐field vertical, and stellate. During aging, narrow field vertical and wide field vertical neurons present somatic atrophy and an increase in dendritic processes with dorsoventral orientation, whereas wide field vertical neurons show a decrease in those with lateromedial orientation. Marginal neurons undergo somatic hypertrophy at 26 months when compared with those at 3 months. The remaining types of neurons do not undergo size changes. Finally, the number of NADPH‐d‐positive neurons per mm2 in the various types of morphology does not significantly change with age. It is suggested to be likely that the aging process in the nitrergic neurons of the sSC does not lead to significant changes in the synthesis of NO from the constitutive NOS isoforms. Microsc. Res. Tech. 69:21–28, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.