Calcium and phosphorus in aged human cerebral arteries

To elucidate the compositional changes of the cerebral arteries with aging, the authors investigated age-related changes of the calcium and phosphorus contents in the cerebral arteries by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emi ssion spectrometry. The subjects consisted of 11 men and 5 women, ranging i n age from 52 to 96 yr. The anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteri es derived from the same subjects were used in the present study. It was found that there were no significant relationships between age and c alcium or phosphorus content in the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebra l arteries, indicating that the accumulation of calcium and phosphorus scar cely occurred in the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries with aging. It was examined whether there were relationships in the calcium and phospho rus contents among the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries. I t was found that there was a significant relationship in both the contents of calcium and phosphorus between the middle and posterior cerebral arterie s, but not between the anterior and middle cerebral arteries nor between th e anterior and posterior cerebral arteries.