The neuronal structure of the medial geniculate body in the pig - Nissl and Golgi study

The studies were carried out on the brains of adult pigs. The preparations were made by means of the Golgi technique as well as the Nissl and Klüver-Barrera methods. Four types of neurons were described in the medial geniculate body (MGB) of the pig: 1. Multipolar neurons (perikarya 30–45 µm) with rounded, oval or quadrangular perikarya from which arise 4-7 dendritic trunks. The dendrites divide dichotomically twice, may send out collaterals and give off ramifications. The dendritic branches possess varicosities and knob-like spines. These neurons predominate in MGB. 2. Pear-shaped neurons (20-35 µm) with one or two dendritic trunks arising from one pole of the cell body. These dendrites have a tufted appearance. 3. Triangular neurons (30-45 µm) possess three thick dendrites which first bifurcate near the soma and then divide profusely into daughter branches. 4. Fusiform neurons (30-50 µm) have usually two dendritic trunks which arise from the opposite poles of the cell body and divide dichotomically twice. The fusiform neurons are the least numerous in MGB. Most MGB neurons have on the secondary tertiary dendrites and on their ramifications have delicate varicose or bead-like appendages and spine-like protrusions. In all types of neurons an axon arises either from the soma or from the initial portion of the dendritic trunk

The neuronal structure of the ventromedial and infundibular nuclei in the guinea pig: Nissl and Golgi study

The studies were carried out on the mesencephalons of adult guinea pigs. On the basis of the Golgi technique, as well as the Nissl and Klüver-Barrera methods, four types of neurons were distinguished in the ventromedial nucleus (VMH) and infundibular nucleus (Ni): 1. Rounded neurons (perikarya 12–18 µm) with 3-4 dendritic trunks, which divide once, twice or not at all. The dendritic branches possess varicosities and knob-like spines. These neurons predominate in VMH. 2. Fusiform neurons (perikarya 15-28 µm) with 2 dendritic trunks, which arise from the opposite poles of the cell body. Bead-like protuberances and knob-like processes are observed on the dendrites. These neurons are the most numerous in Ni. 3. Triangular neurons (perikarya 15-22 µm) possess three thick, conical dendrites, which bifurcate dichotomically. Bead-like appendages and knob-like processes were seen on the dendritic surface. 4. Multipolar neurons (perikarya 18-22 µm) with 4-5 dendritic trunks, which are poorly ramified. The dendritic branches are smooth, but varicosities can be observed on their surface. In all types of neurons an axon was observed to arise either from the dendritic trunk or from the soma

Types of neurons of the subthalamic nucleus and zona incerta in the guinea pig — Nissl and Golgi study

The studies were carried out on the subthalamus of adult guinea pigs. Golgi impregnation, Nissl and Klüver-Barrera methods were used for the study. In Nissl stained sections the subthalamic neuronal population consists of multipolar, fusiform, oval and pear-shaped perikarya. In two studied areas: nucleus subthalamicus (STN) and zona incerta (ZI) three types of neurons were distinguished. Type I, multipolar neurons with quadrangular, triangular or oval perikarya. They have 3–6 primary dendrites wich run slightly wavy and spread out in all directions. Type II, bipolar neurons with fusiform or semilunar perikarya, they have two primary dendrites. Type III, pear-shaped neurons with 1–2 dendritic trunks arising from one pole of the neuron. In all types of neurons axon emerges from the perikaryon or initial segment of a dendritic trunk and can be followed at a maximum distance of about 50 μm

The neuronal structure of the substantia nigra in the guinea pig: Nissl and Golgi study

The studies were carried out on the mesencephalons of adult guinea pigs. The preparations were made by means of the Golgi technique, as well as the Nissl and Klüver-Barrera methods. Four types of neurons were distinguished in the substantia nigra (SN) of the guinea pig: 1. Bipolar neurons of two kinds: the neurons of the first kind have elongated, fusiform perikarya (25-40 µm), whereas the cells of the second kind have rounded and oval perikarya (15-22 µm). These neurons possess two dendritic trunks which arise from the opposite poles of the cell body and run for a relatively long distance. The bipolar neurons are the most numerous in the pars compacta of SN. 2. Triangular neurons with three primary dendrites arising conically from a perikaryon (20-35 µm). They are the most often observed type of neurons in the pars reticulata of SN. 3. Multipolar neurons with quadrangular or oval perikarya (22-35 µm) and 4-5 dendritic trunks which spread out in all directions. 4. Pear-shaped neurons (perikarya 15-25 µm), which have one or two primary dendritic trunks arising from one pole of the cell body. In all the types of neurons an axon originates either from the dendritic trunk or from the soma and is observed only in its initial segment

The neuronal structure of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus in the guinea pig: Golgi and Klüver-Barrera studies

On the basis of Golgi and Klüver-Barrera preparations we have distinguished four types of neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the guinea pig: 1. Fusiform neurons with 1-3 thick dendritic trunks arising from each pole of the soma. The dendritic trunks branch twice dichotomically. The branches sometimes show varicosities. 2. Pear-shaped cells. From one pole of the perikaryon one or two thick dendritic trunks arise, from the opposite pole an axon emerges. The ends of the dendritic branches divide in a tuft-like manner (a characteristic feature of the interneurons). 3. Rounded neurons with 4-7 dendritic trunks without cones. The dendritic trunks branch once or twice dichotomically and give finally 2-3 thin ramifications which show a varicose course and knob-like protuberances. 4. Triangular cells with 3 thick, conically arising dendritic trunks. They bifurcate dichotomically. The surface of the dendritic trunks and of their branches is smooth

The neuronal structure of the red nucleus in newborn guinea pigs

The preparations, stained according to the Nissl and Klüver-Barrera methods, were used to describe the topography and morphology of the red nucleus (RN) as well as the structure of the rubral perikarya in newborn (P0) guinea pigs. The Golgi impregnated preparations were used to distinguish types of neurons. RN is a uniform cell group and has the length from 740 to 860 µm. The Nissl stained perikarya were classified into three categories: big, medium-sized and small (A, B, C, respectively). The big perikarya, which contain a lot of tigroidal substance, were mainly observed at the caudal and ventral portions of RN. The small perikarya often have multiple nucleoli. The impregnated neurons were classified into 5 types: 1 - large, aspiny, rich-arborised multipolar cells, 2 - large and medium sized, spiny, rich-arborised fusiform or pear-shaped cells, 3 - medium-sized, spiny, rich-arborised rounded cells, 4 - medium-sized, spiny, richarborised bipolar cells, 5 - small and single medium-sized cells. The 5th type constitutes a heterogeneous population and also has neurons in different developmental stages. Intraspecies variations concerning both the length of RN and a number of the triangular perikarya of the red nucleus were observed in the examined guinea pigs

Distribution of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and galanin (GAL) in the pterygopalatine ganglion of the domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos f. domestica)

Introduction. Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and galanin (GAL) act as neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Their presence has been found in different taxonomic groups, in particular in mammals. However, only few investigators have studied these neuropeptides in the class Aves (birds). The aim of the present study was to describe the distribution of CART, NPY and GAL in the pterygopalatine ganglion (PPG) of the domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos f. domestica). Material and methods. The experiment was conducted on 16 one-year-old domestic ducks of the Pekin breed of both sexes (8 males and 8 females). Frozen sections of the PPG were subjected to immunofluorescence staining using primary mouse monoclonal antibodies directed against CART and GAL and rabbit polyclonal antibody directed against NPY. Secondary antibodies were conjugated with Cy3 and FITC fluorochromes. Results. CART, NPY, and GAL were present in the PPG of the domestic duck. The highest immunoreactivity (IR) in the ganglionic cells was found for CART in the majority (83–85%) of neurons of both superior (SPPG) and inferior (IPPG) PPG. CART-IR was also found in small aggregations of neurons on the medial surface of the Harderian gland, and on the course of the palatine branch of the facial nerve. CART-IR was also observed in the nerve fibers of these neurons’ aggregations; however, it was low in comparison to the immunoreactivity of the perikarya. Immunoreactivity of NPY was found in ganglionic neurons, but above all in numerous fibers of the SPPG and IPPG and within aggregations on the surface of the Harderian gland. NPY-IR cells were distributed irregularly over the cross-sections of the tested aggregations, and constituted from 36% to 43% of the SPPG and from 37% to 40% of the IPPG of all cross-sectioned neurons. GAL-immunoreactive perikarya, distributed irregularly across the sections, were observed in the SPPG, where they constituted 61–65%, and in the IPPG, where they made up 50–57% of all neurons. All immunoreactive neurons were characterized by immunopositive neuroplasm and immunonegative cell nuclei. Conclusions. The presence of CART, NPY, and GAL in the PPG of the domestic duck suggests that these peptides may contribute to the secretory innervation of the glands of the mucosa of the palate and nasal cavity, the Harderian gland, and the lacrimal gland

The cytoarchitectonic and neuronal structure of the red nucleus in guinea pig: Nissl and Golgi studies

The present studies were carried out on the brains of adult guinea pigs, Dunkin-Hartley strain. On the basis of preparations, they were stained according to the Nissl and the Klüver-Barrera method's; a short description of the cytoarchitectonics and the characteristics of the rubral cells were written. The red nucleus (RN) of the guinea pig is 1.2 mm in length. Three cellular parts in RN, and three classes (A, B, C) of the rubral cells were distinguished. Taking into consideration the predominant cell size, RN was divided into magnocellular part (RNm), parvocellular part (RNp) and intermediate part (RNi). On the basis of Golgi impregnated preparations four neuronal types (I, II, III, IV) were distinguished. To sum up, in the guinea pig were observed: the large, mainly multipolar (type I) and bipolar (type II) spiny being coarse (class A) in Nissl material; the medium-sized, triangular, aspiny (type III) corresponding to the fine cells (class B); and the small, both spiny and aspiny neurons (type IV), which are the fine or achromatic cells (classes B or C) in Nissl stained slices. The highest degree of dendritic branching was observed in type I, whereas the lowest in cells of types III and IV

A morphometric study of the amygdala in the guinea pig

The characteristic features of guinea pig amygdala (CA), as shown by volumetric comparisons of the individual nuclei, are the poor development of the basolateral (BL) and lateral olfactory tract (NLOT) nuclei as well as the strong formation of the lateral (LA) and basomedial (BM) nuclei. The central (CE), cortical (CO) and medial (ME) nuclei also appear to be well represented in this species. All these features are even more pronounced when the total number of neurons in the nuclei referred to was taken into consideration. A comparison of the densities of neurons in the individual nuclei with the mean numerical density of cells in the guinea pig CA indicates that the densities of neurons in LA, BL, BM, CE and CO are significantly lower than the mean (p < 0.05), whereas in the ME and NLOT these values are significantly higher than the mean (p < 0.05). It is noteworthy, that the densities of the neurons in CE and CO do not differ statistically from each other (p > 0.05) and are significantly higher than the respective values in LA, BL and BM (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a similar division of the guinea pig CA may to some extent be made using the size parameters of the amygdaloid neurons as a marker. Interestingly, the large neurons populate organised CA areas like LA, BL and BM less densely, whereas the small cells create ME and NLOT, where the neurons are densely arranged. CE and CO occupy intermediate positions, with the neurons similar in size to the mean for the guinea pig CA

Distribution and chemical coding pattern of somatostatin immunoreactivity in the dorsal striatum of the guinea pig

The present study provides a detailed description of somatostatin (SOM) distribution and the colocalization pattern of SOM, neuropeptide Y (NPY) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the dorsal striatum (caudate-putamen complex) of the guinea pig. Within the dorsal striatum, SOM is found in a population of medium-sized aspiny interneurons. We found that 97% of all SOM-IR neurons expressed NPY simultaneously, while 98% of all NPY-ergic perikarya was simultaneously SOM-IR. On the other hand, while 98% of all SOM-IR cells were simultaneously NOS-IR, only 91% of all NOS-containing neurons exhibited SOM-immunoreactivity. Irrespective of their chemical coding, both types of SOM-IR neurons were scattered throughout the dorsal striatum, sometimes in the form of small, loosely arranged clusters of 2&#8211;4 cells. While SOM-IR and NPY-IR nerve fibers were present in all of the studied regions, they were more numerous in the ventro-medial part of the studied structure, with the exception of its caudal portion, where SOM-IR and NPY-IR fibers additionally formed a dense network in the part corresponding to the caudate nucleus. A low expression of staining for NOS-IR fibers was seen throughout the entire dorsal striatum. In some fibers, SOM and NPY were co-expressed. Fibers expressing both SOM and NOS were not found. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 690&#8211;699