3D imaging reveals details of cranial bone aging
New research from Johns Hopkins University used 3D-imaging to reveal how the skull changes with age, manifesting in a shifting distribution in the density of nerves and blood vessels in the murine calvarium.
In a study published in Bone Research [1], scientists traced the neurovascular architecture of mouse subjects from birth to 80 weeks of age, using machine-learning-based segmentation to how nerves and blood vessels change in the top of the skull over time.
As the body ages and is subject to injury, changes in bones reduce the ability of the body to heal. While previous studies have focused on bone tissue directly, the research team, led by Allison L. Horenberg, a PhD candidate, was more curious about the role nerves and blood vessels play in bone health.
Horenberg, et al. utilized 3D lightsheet microscopy to capture high-resolution images of nerves as time elapsed, observing a measurable, steady increase in nerve density in the murine calvarium of mice during the first few weeks of their development. In older mice, the density began to significantly decline with age, particularly in the frontal bone.
The rate of change was different based on the region of the skull, with the frontal bone showing the first signs of decline.
The researchers said they hope this information will help shape future studies that can examine bone fragility and potential applications of regenerative medicine, as the association of nerves and blood vessels are crucial to healing.
“This research opens up new avenues for understanding how nerves and blood vessels influence bone aging and regeneration,” Warren Grayson, PhD, one of the lead researchers for the study, said in a statement. “The ability to visualize and quantify these changes in 3D is a significant step forward in our understanding of skeletal health. These insights could help guide future therapeutic strategies for age-related bone diseases and injury recovery.”
These findings will need to be confirmed in human subjects to see if there is a similar pattern during the aging process. However, the authors are optimistic the findings could help guide treatments for age-related bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To date, no one has mapped neurovascular architecture of the mouse cranium, as it pertains to aging, using such detailed 3D models, the researchers said.
“We believe that these rich 3D imaging data will help to further elucidate the role of calvarial nerves in homeostasis and aging, and also aid our understanding of the changes in nerve patterning that occur following bone injury,” they wrote.
The full study can be read at the link below.
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