Age-related changes in the morphology of tanycytes in the human female infundibular nucleus/median eminence

Tanycytes are emerging as key players in the neuroendocrine control of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release. Rodent studies have demonstrated that the structural relationship between tanycytes and GnRH terminals in the median eminence is highly dynamic, regulated by gonadal steroids and undergoes age-related changes. The present study aimed to determine whether the number and organisation of tanycytes changes throughout life in the female infundibular nucleus/median eminence (INF/ME) region. Post-mortem hypothalamic tissues were collected at the Netherlands Brain Bank and were stained for vimentin by immunohistochemistry. Hypothalami of 22 control female subjects were categorised into three periods: infant/prepubertal, adult and elderly. We measured the fractional area covered by vimentin immunoreactivity in the INF. Qualitative analysis demonstrated a remarkable parallel organisation of vimentin-immunoreactive processes during the infant/prepubertal and adult periods. During the elderly period, this organisation was largely lost. Semi-quantitatively, the fractional area covered in vimentin immunoreactivity was significantly higher at the infant/prepubertal compared to the adult period and almost reached statistical significance compared to the elderly period. By contrast, the number of tanycyte cell bodies did not appear to change throughout life. The results of the present study thus demonstrate that the number and structure of tanycytic processes are altered during ageing, suggesting that tanycytes might be involved in the age-related changes observed in GnRH release.