Myelinated perikarya and dendrites in lateral geniculate nucleus of adult cat following chronic cortical deafferentation.

Chronic (one year) cortical deafferentation resulted in the appearance of myelinated neuronal perikarya and dendritic processes in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the cat. Four per cent of all nerve cell bodies, both large and small, were observed to be covered partially or totally by compact myelin sheath. The myelination of the dendrites was confined to the most proximal portion of the processes. A comparison of the fine structural features of the myelinated cell bodies and dendrites with those from intact LGN indicate that both surviving projection neurons and local interneurons may become myelinated. It is suggested that the unorthodox myelination of nerve cell somata and dendrites is caused primarily by the massive deafferentation of the nucleus. This indicates a relationship between synaptic input and the process of myelination of the postsynaptic nerve cells.