This study has analyzed age-related changes in the nuclear organization of pituicytes of the rat. The cytological study of the cell nucleus and the quantitative analysis of nuclear bodies (NBs) were performed on ultrathin sections. Nuclear diameter, perimeter, and area were measured on semithin sections, and nuclear volume was estimated from these data. The nucleolus was mainly composed of a few large fibrillar centers with their associated dense fibrillar component, whereas the granular component tended to form large masses at the nucleolar periphery. The most frequent configuration of NBs was a globular inclusion composed of a fibrillar capsule with a core that contained a few electron-dense granules. Intranuclear glycogen was detected on rare occasions and only in old rats. The proportion of nuclear sections containing NBs increased significantly from 1.5% in 3-month-old rats to 8.6% in 18-month-old rats. A significant increase in the nuclear volume was detected in older rats with respect to the younger ones (157 +/- 69 vs. 98 +/- 43 microns 3, mean +/- S.D.). Our results suggest an age-related activation of nuclear metabolism in pituicytes resulting in a nuclear expansion and an increase in the frequency of appearance of NBs. This activation might be a reactive cellular event induced by the degenerative changes in neurosecretory nerve endings naturally occurring in older animals.