ABSTRACT
With age, the intervertebral disk dehydrates and the physicochemical state of the ground substance is altered. The result is that the collagen fibers, which are few and slender at the beginning of life, become tight, thicken, and tend to group together with age, in almost parallel direction, and form fibrous bundles. This can be seen on macroscopic sections of the aged disk. The process is called the “maturation of collagen,” and it increases notably in the second part of life, after about age 40. The rate of mucopolysaccharide production increases briefly, and then progressively diminishes for the duration of life.
