Age-related changes in the distribution of Nav1.1 and Nav1.2 in rat cerebellum

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Abstract
Modification of sodium channel availability and behavior is obviously a good candidate for alteration of action potential observed during aging. In the present study, we revealed age-related alterations in the expression of voltage-gated Na+ (Na(v)) channel in rat cerebellum by immunohistochemistry. In the cerebellar cortex of aged rats, Na(v)1.1 immunoreactivity in Purkinje cell bodies was highly increased, whereas granule cells showed lower staining intensity. In the cerebellar nuclei of aged rats, Na(v)1.1 and Na(v)1.2 expression was specifically increased in the cerebellar output neurons, which was confirmed by image analysis. The first demonstration of age-related changes in Na(v) channel expression contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for alteration in synaptic transmission during aging.