Aging and the Basal Ganglia

Age-related changes within the basal ganglia primarily affect the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway and related pigmented nuclei. These alterations resemble the pathologic changes of Parkinson's disease, but cell dropout is not as marked or uniquely selective in the aged brain. Histopathologic changes including interneuronal inclusion bodies are associated with aging, but the number and location of these suggest that this is a nonspecific phenomenon, not the harbinger of Parkinson's disease or other specific neuropathology. It appears that aging and Parkinson's disease result in similar brain cell degenerative processes, but the causes and specific triggering mechanisms for these changes are likely to be quite distinct.