Dendritic thickness: a morphometric parameter to classify mouse retinal ganglion cells.

To study the dendritic morphology of retinal ganglion cells in wild-type mice we intracellularly injected these cells with Lucifer yellow in an in vitro preparation of the retina. Subsequently, quantified values of dendritic thickness, number of branching points and level of stratification of 73 Lucifer yellow-filled ganglion cells were analyzed by statistical methods, resulting in a classification into 9 groups. The variables dendritic thickness, number of branching points per cell and level of stratification were independent of each other.

Synaptologic and fine structural features distinguishing a subset of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons embedded in the dense intrinsic fiber network of the caudal extended amygdala.

Cholinergic basal forebrain neurons confined within the intrinsic connections of the extended amygdala in the caudal sublenticular region and anterior amygdaloid area (cSLR/AAA) differ from other basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in several morphological and neurochemical respects. These cSLR/AAA cholinergic neurons have been subjected to additional investigations described in this report. First, fibers traced anterogradely following injections of Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin in the central amygdaloid nucleus were shown to contact cSLR/AAA cholinergic neurons and dendrites.

Local application of L- threo-hydroxyaspartate and malonate in rats in vivo induces rigidity and damages neurons of the substantia nigra, pars compacta.

In order to study neuronal death in Parkinson's disease, neurons of the substantia nigra, pars compacta in rats were exposed to elevated levels of glutamate and decreased levels of energy in vivo and consequences for behavior and neuronal morphology were studied. Thus, repeated local injections (9x) of the glutamate uptake inhibitor L- threo-hydroxyaspartate (L-THA; 833 microM in 0.3 microl) in the presence or absence of the succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor malonate (25 mM in 0.

Soma size of substantia nigra neurons increases after a prenatal neocortical lesion in cats.

Seeking an explanation for an increase in volume of the caudate nucleus in adult cats that had sustained a fetal unilateral neocortical lesion, we investigated possible morphological changes in the reciprocally interconnected substantia nigra. In fetal-lesioned cats the cross-sectional area of neuronal somata in substantia nigra, pars reticulata was 33% larger than in control cats (P<0.05), while in pars compacta there was a marked tendency to an increase (25%, P<0.

The role of NMDA receptors in the slow neuronal degeneration of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is a disorder, in which neurons of various neuronal systems degenerate. Furthermore, in such degenerating neurons, the cytoskeleton seems to be affected. In this respect, Parkinson's disease resembles Alzheimer's disease.