German D C, Walker B S, Manaye K, Smith W K, Woodward D J, North A J
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center, Dallas 75235.
J Neurosci. 1988 May;8(5):1776-88. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.08-05-01776.1988.
Quantitative neuroanatomical techniques were developed to map the distribution of norepinephrine-containing locus coeruleus (LC) neurons in the adult human brain. These neurons reside in the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum and are identifiable by their neuromelanin pigment content. Five brains, ranging in age from 60 to 104 years, were examined. Outlines of coronal or sagittal sections containing the LC were entered into a computer along with the location of each cell, certain neuroanatomical landmarks, and cell size. Sections were aligned with specific neuroanatomical landmarks so that the computer-generated distribution of cells was representative of the in situ distribution of cells. Analysis of (1) the number of cells in sections throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the nucleus, (2) cell size, (3) 3-dimensional reconstructions of the distribution of cells within the brain stem, and (4) 2-dimensional cell-frequency maps, make it possible to quantitatively characterize the distribution of cells within this large nucleus. The total estimated number of LC cells on both sides of the brain ranged from 45,562 to 18,940 (youngest to oldest), and mean soma area ranged from 835 to 718 micron 2 (youngest to oldest). The nucleus is "tube-like" in shape, has a rostrocaudal extent of approximately 16 mm, and is bilaterally symmetrical. Two-dimensional cell-frequency maps were developed to illustrate the regional distribution of cell frequencies at any rostrocaudal/mediolateral point on the horizontal plane; the total unilateral area of the LC ranged from 32.8 to 17.2 mm2 (youngest to oldest). The techniques developed to characterize the 2- and 3-dimensional distributions of LC neurons can be used in future studies to quantitatively examine the effects of aging and disease on this and other brain nuclei.
定量神经解剖学技术被开发用于绘制去甲肾上腺素能蓝斑（LC）神经元在成人大脑中的分布。这些神经元位于脑桥背外侧被盖区，可通过其神经黑色素含量识别。研究了5个年龄在60至104岁之间的大脑。包含LC的冠状或矢状切片轮廓以及每个细胞的位置、某些神经解剖学标志和细胞大小被输入计算机。切片与特定的神经解剖学标志对齐，以便计算机生成的细胞分布代表原位细胞分布。对（1）整个核的前后范围内切片中的细胞数量、（2）细胞大小、（3）脑干内细胞分布的三维重建以及（4）二维细胞频率图的分析，使得定量表征这个大核内细胞的分布成为可能。大脑两侧LC细胞的估计总数在45,562至18,940之间（最年轻到最年长），平均胞体面积在835至718平方微米之间（最年轻到最年长）。该核呈“管状”，前后范围约为16毫米，且两侧对称。二维细胞频率图被开发用于说明水平面上任何前后/内外侧点处细胞频率的区域分布；LC的单侧总面积在32.8至17.2平方毫米之间（最年轻到最年长）。为表征LC神经元的二维和三维分布而开发的技术可用于未来研究，以定量研究衰老和疾病对这个以及其他脑核的影响。
