Astrocyte process lenght decreases in aged mice brain, especially in the hippocampus CA1 area. CalpTG mice had a relatively preserved mean astrocytic process lenght at 2 years when compared to aged WT mice, confirming the deleterious role of calpains in brain aging (Fig. 7A–E, p = 0.016). We also addressed whether brain blood barrier function would be protected in CalpTG mice by assessment of MECA-32 staining in hippocampus subdivisions, but we did not evidence significant differences between the different groups (not shown).Figure 7Calpastatin overexpression protects against brain aging. The mean astrocytic lenght decreases with aging in the CA1 area of the hippocampus. This lenght was similar in 2-months old (2 mo) animals (A,B,E, magnification ×600). Aged CalpTG (TG) mice were less affected by this decrease than 2 years (2 yr) old WT mice (C,D,E, *p < 0.05, n = 6/group, magnification ×600).