A quantitative study of the cell population of the cerebellum in children with myelomeningocele.

A quantitative assessment has been carried out on the cell populations and DNA content of the cells in the internal granular layer of the central lobes of the cerebellum from 100 children with myelomeningocele and from 120 normal controls. The method used was a computerised analysis of a television image of the neurones in standardised sections. The cell and DNA complement of the declive and central lobe are only slightly reduced in the cases of myelomeningocele, but there is frequently cellular and DNA loss throughout the pyramid and uvula to the nodule. These findings suggest that the central lobes of the cerebellum are probably genetically normal but have irregular degeneration and arrest of growth, probably as an effect of pressure at the foramen magnum.