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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012 Dec;1274(1):24–32. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06836.x

Figure 4.

Figure 4

Exercise ameliorates the decrease in active zone protein level observed in aged NMJs. A. NMJs of aged rats (aged, two-year-old rats) exhibit lower Bassoon signal intensity compared to young adult rats (young, postnatal day 56). Aged rats that underwent isometric strength training of muscles for two months (trained-aged) show higher Bassoon immunohistochemical signal intensity compared to the NMJs of untrained aged rats (aged). Highly magnified Bassoon staining of the area marked by white dotted boxes are shown in the second column from the left (High Mag. Bassoon). Nerve and endplate morphology is shown using anti-neurofilament and -SV2 antibodies (NF+SV2) and α-bungarotoxin for acetylcholine receptors (AChR). Scale bar: 10 μm. B. Average signal intensity of Bassoon is significantly higher in NMJs of young rats and trained-aged rats compared to those of untrained-aged rats (scattered plot shows each NMJ data, and whiskers show mean ± standard error in arbitrary intensity units). The red bracket indicates a subgroup of aged NMJs with a minuscule level of Bassoon signal. Young rats and trained-aged rats do not show significant difference. Modified from Ref. 57.