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Published October 1999 | public
Journal Article

Topographical localization of lipofuscin pigment in the brain of the aged fat-tailed dwarf lemur(Cheirogaleus Medius) and grey lesser mouse lemur (Microcebus Murinus): Comparison to iron localization

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to explore the distribution of lipofuscin in the brain of cheirogaleids by autofluorescence and compare it to other studies of iron distribution. Aged dwarf (Cheirogaleus medius) and mouse (Microcebus murinus) lemurs provide a reliable model for the study of normal and pathological cerebral aging. Accumulation of lipofuscin, an age pigment derived by lipid peroxidation, constitutes the most reliable cytological change correlated with neuronal aging. Brain sections of four aged (8–15 year old) and 3 young (2–3 year old) animals were examined. Lipofuscin accumulation was observed in the aged animals but not in the young ones. Affected regions include the hippocampus (granular and pyramidal cells), where no iron accumulation was observed, the olfactory nucleus and the olfactory bulb (mitral cells), the basal forebrain, the hypothalamus, the cerebellum (Purkinje cells), the neocortex (essentially in the pyramidal cells), and the brainstem. Even though iron is known to catalyse lipid oxidation, our data indicate that iron deposits and lipofuscin accumulation are not coincident. Different biochemical and morphological cellular compartments might be involved in iron and lipofuscin deposition. The nonuniform distribution of lipofuscin indicates that brain structures are not equally sensitive to the factors causing lipofuscin accumulation. The small size, the rapid maturity, and the relatively short life expectancy of the cheirogaleids make them a good model system in which to investigate the mechanisms of lipofuscinogenesis in primates.

Additional Information

© 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Article first published online: 11 Aug 1999. We thank Dr. Kenneth Glander, Duke Primate Center, for providing the mouse lemur brains. We thank Drs. Ludmilla Staneva-Dobrovski, University of Düsseldorf; John Shih, Mary Dickinson, Janet Baer, California Institute of Technology; and David Haring, Duke University Primate Center; for helpful assistance in the preparation of this work. We also thank the four anonymous reviewers for their very thoughtful comments. Funding was provided by the von Humboldt and the Del Webb Foundations to EG. Additional funding was provided by the Beckman Institute at Caltech and the Human Brain Project with contributions from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Science Foundation.

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 18, 2023