Beaulieu C, Colonnier M
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Canada.
J Comp Neurol. 1989 Jan 8;279(2):228-34. doi: 10.1002/cne.902790206.
The number of neurons per mm3 of tissue (number per volume) and the number under 1 mm2 of cortical surface (number per column) have been estimated for each lamina of seven cytoarchitectural areas of the cat cortex by using a method of size frequency distribution. The areas studied consisted of four visual areas (the binocular and monocular portions of area 17: 17B and 17M; area 18; and the posteromedial lateral suprasylvian area: PMLS), a somatosensory area (3B), and two motor areas (4 gamma and 6a alpha). For both series of measurements, significant differences could be demonstrated among the seven areas studied (one-way ANOVA; P less than .001). The number of neurons per volume in the binocular and monocular regions of area 17 (approximately 49,000/mm3) is 85% greater than that of each of the other regions (approximately 27,000) with a P less than .01 on an a posteriori Tukey test, but there are no significant differences between the latter areas. The number of neurons per column is greater in the binocular portion of area 17 (78,000 under 1 mm2 of cortical surface) than in any other area (P less than .01). Other sensory areas (17M, 18, PMLS, and 3B) have fewer neurons per column (P less than .01) and the numbers do not vary significantly between these regions (range from 56,100 to 61,900). Areas 4 gamma and 6a alpha have still fewer neurons (approximately 44,000; P less than .01, except P less than .05 when compared to PMLS). Thus, the seven areas studied fall under three different categories. Motor areas have the smallest number of neurons per column, sensory areas have more, and the greatest number is found in the binocular region of area 17. It appears that these differences are principally (but not exclusively) due to variations in the number of neurons in layer IV: These variations are largely responsible for the differences that we have found between the binocular portion of area 17 and other sensory areas as well as between the latter and motor areas. We thus cannot confirm the view of Rockel et al. (Brain 103:221-244, '80) that there is a basic uniformity of the number of neurons per unit of cortical surface in different cortical areas of the cat.
通过使用大小频率分布方法，已对猫皮层七个细胞构筑区域的每个层的每立方毫米组织中的神经元数量（每体积数量）以及1平方毫米皮层表面下的神经元数量（每柱数量）进行了估计。所研究的区域包括四个视觉区域（17区的双眼和单眼部分：17B和17M；18区；以及后内侧外侧上薛氏回区域：PMLS）、一个躯体感觉区域（3B）和两个运动区域（4γ和6aα）。对于这两个系列的测量，在所研究的七个区域之间可以证明存在显著差异（单因素方差分析；P小于0.001）。17区双眼和单眼区域每体积的神经元数量（约49,000/mm³）比其他每个区域（约27,000）多85%，在事后的Tukey检验中P小于0.01，但后几个区域之间没有显著差异。17区双眼部分每柱的神经元数量（皮层表面1平方毫米下有78,000个）比其他任何区域都多（P小于0.01）。其他感觉区域（17M、18、PMLS和3B）每柱的神经元数量较少（P小于0.01），并且这些区域之间的数量没有显著变化（范围从56,100到61,900）。4γ和6aα区域的神经元数量仍然较少（约44,000；P小于0.01，与PMLS相比时P小于0.05除外）。因此，所研究的七个区域分为三个不同类别。运动区域每柱的神经元数量最少，感觉区域较多，而17区双眼区域的神经元数量最多。似乎这些差异主要（但并非唯一）是由于IV层中神经元数量的变化：这些变化在很大程度上导致了我们在17区双眼部分与其他感觉区域之间以及后者与运动区域之间发现的差异。因此，我们无法证实Rockel等人（《大脑》103:221 - 244，'80）的观点，即猫不同皮层区域每单位皮层表面的神经元数量基本一致。
