It is well known that aging influences several functional and structural features of peripheral nerves (Verdù et al., 2000; Ceballos et al., 1999; Jeronimo et al., 2008). However, the role of these changes in the damage/repair mechanisms occurring in acquired peripheral neuropathies is still unclear. To this aim, a multimodal, long-term assessment in a mice model would represent an optimal tool to perform experimental neuropathy studies designed to evaluate the role of aging in relationship

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... a given nerve injury. In this study we used 40 females one-month-old C57B1/6 mice and we followed-up them for fifteen months. Digital and caudal nerve conduction velocity (NCV) studies were performed monthly to evaluate changes in electrophysiological features; moreover, four animals were sacrificed every two months in order to collect caudal nerve, sciatic nerve, dor-sal root ganglia (DRG) and skin for morphological and morphometric analysis. The neurophysiological assessments showed a remarkable increase of cau-dal NCV until the age of 9 months and then it remained unchanged until the end of the observation period; in the same period, digital NCV increase was also present although less marked. At the pathological level, both caudal and sciatic nerves showed a decrease in fibres density related with age, whereas axon and fibres diameters tended to increase. These preliminary data can be considered a first step aiming at creating a background for future studies on the relationship between aging and peripheral nervous system induced damage. References [1] Ceballos et al. (1999) Morphometric and ultrastructural changes with ageing in mouse peripheral nerve. J Anat 195: 563-76 [2] Verdù et al. (2000) Influence of aging on peripheral nerve function and regeneration. Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System 5: 191-208. [3] Jeronimo et al. (2008) A morphometric study on the longitudinal and lateral symmetry of the sural nerve in mature and aging female rats. Brain Research 1222: 51-60.