ArticleNeurogastroenterology and motility2009
Effect of age on the enteric nervous system of the human colon.
Article in Neurogastroenterology and motility, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
88 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 158 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cardiovascular Benefit and Gastrointestinal Risk of Colchicine in Secondary Prevention: Risk Associated with Dose and Treatment Duration.American journal of cardiovascular drugs : drugs, devices, and other interventions · 2026Pooled it
- Subtypes of Enteric Neurons in Hirschsprung Disease: A Comparison of Fully Ganglionic and Transitional Zone.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2026Article
- Aryl hydrocarbon receptor deficiency leads to sex- and age-dependent colonic dysmotility in mice.Journal of physiology and biochemistry · 2026Article
- Enteric nervous system and inflammatory bowel disease.Gastroenterology report · 2026Review
- Diet-gut microbiota-immune-brain interactions in aging: mechanistic pathways and clinical implications.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2026Review
- Age-Related Loss of GPR68 and Calretinin Immunoreactive Neurons Within the Mucosa, Not the Myenteric Plexus of Human Colon.British journal of biomedical science · 2026Article
- The human colon: Evidence for degenerative changes during aging and the physiological consequences.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2025Review
- Colonic Aging and Colorectal Cancer: An Unignorable Interplay and Its Translational Implications.Biology · 2025Review
- Attenuation of intestinal peristalsis with age is attributed to decreased sensitivity of receptors in the enteric nervous system.Cell and tissue research · 2025Article
- Effects of aged garlic extract on aging?related changes in gastrointestinal function and enteric nervous system cells.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2025Article
- Overall and Regional Colonic Transit Abnormalities in Elderly Patients with Constipation.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2025Article
- The Effectiveness of Transabdominal Ultrasonography in Managing Chronic Constipation in the Elderly, with a Focus on the Underlying Pathological Conditions.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Leaky gut in systemic inflammation: exploring the link between gastrointestinal disorders and age-related diseases.GeroScience · 2025Review
- Aging-related impairment of neurogenic chloride secretion in human colon mucosa.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Article
- Impact of aging on the central and enteric nervous system in a Parkinson's disease mouse model.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2025Article
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying aging-related gastric neuromuscular dysfunction.Journal of smooth muscle research = Nihon Heikatsukin Gakkai kikanshi · 2025Review
- Functional and Structural Investigation of Myenteric Neurons in the Human Colon.Gastro hep advances · 2025Article
- Integrated approach to reducing polypharmacy in older people: exploring the role of oxidative stress and antioxidant potential therapy.Redox report : communications in free radical research · 2024Review
- Gastrointestinal dysfunction in the valproic acid induced model of social deficit in rats.Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical · 2024Article
28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The effect of age on the anatomy and function of the human colon is incompletely understood. The prevalence of disorders in adults such as constipation increase with age but it is unclear if this is due to confounding factors or age-related structural defects. The aim of this study was to determine number and subtypes of enteric neurons and neuronal volumes in the human colon of different ages. Normal colon (descending and sigmoid) from 16 patients (nine male) was studied; ages 33-99. Antibodies to HuC/D, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and protein gene product 9.5 were used. Effect of age was determined by testing for linear trends using regression analysis. In the myenteric plexus, number of Hu-positive neurons declined with age (slope = -1.3 neurons/mm/10 years, P = 0.03). The number of ChAT-positive neurons also declined with age (slope = -1.1 neurons/mm/10 years of age, P = 0.02). The number of nNOS-positive neurons did not decline with age. As a result, the ratio of nNOS to Hu increased (slope = 0.03 per 10 years of age, P = 0.01). In the submucosal plexus, the number of neurons did not decline with age (slope = -0.3 neurons/mm/10 years, P = 0.09). Volume of nerve fibres in the circular muscle and volume of neuronal structures in the myenteric plexus did not change with age. In conclusion, the number of neurons in the human colon declines with age with sparing of nNOS-positive neurons. This change was not accompanied by changes in total volume of neuronal structures suggesting compensatory changes in the remaining neurons.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.