ArticleGeroScience2026
Structural and mitochondrial dendritic degenerations in old hypoglossal motor neurons.
Article in GeroScience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Hypoglossal and lumbar motor neuron death in old Sprague-Dawley rats.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- Inflammaging-associated mitochondrial degeneration occurs in hypoglossal motor neurons prior to tongue muscle.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Fiber type specific tibialis anterior muscle atrophy and oxidative capacity reduction is contemporaneous with death of larger lumbar motor neurons in old rats.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- The evidence for old age motor neuron death: A scoping review.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- Tongue blade neuromuscular junction defects in old F344 rats.Respiratory physiology & neurobiology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Hypoglossal motor neurons (MNs) within the medullary hypoglossal nucleus innervate the striated muscles of the intrinsic and extrinsic tongue. Dysfunction of the control of the tongue muscles may lead to problems such as dysphagia, dysphonia and the increased risk of aspiration pneumonia in the elderly. In the human and Fischer 344 (F344) rat motor systems, age-related muscle weakness and behavioural dysfunctions are contemporaneous to MN death. In other neurons, dendritic and mitochondrial degenerations are fundamental pathophysiological components preceding neuronal death. We aimed to determine if dendritic, dendritic spine and dendritic mitochondrial pathology were present in old age. We used golgi-cox and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) to evaluate dendritic and mitochondrial morphology, respectively in young (6-month) and old (24-month) female and male F344 rats. Dendritic regression and dendritic spine loss occurs in old age, predominantly in larger hypoglossal MNs. In addition, reduced dendritic mitochondrial volume density and mitochondrial fragmentation are apparent in old age. Our results are consistent with established age-related deficits in F344 rats, including tongue muscle sarcopenia, hypoglossal MN loss and dysphagia. Although more work is needed to determine if synaptic and mitochondrial degenerations are causative for age-related neuromotor dysfunctions, our results suggest that strategies to preserve dendrites and mitochondria may be of therapeutic utility.
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Registered trials
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