Arendt T, Marcova L, Bigl V, Brückner M K
Department of Neurochemistry, Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Germany.
J Comp Neurol. 1995 Jan 9;351(2):169-88. doi: 10.1002/cne.903510202.
In the present study, the dendritic organisation of neurones in the normal human basal forebrain was analysed as a prerequisite for the evaluation of pathological changes occurring in Alzheimer's disease and related conditions (see other Arendt et al. papers in this issue). Neurones in the basal nucleus of Meynert (NbM), the nucleus of the vertical limb of the diagonal band, and the medial septal nucleus were examined after Golgi impregnation. Cells were classified according to the dendritic branching pattern and soma shape as either reticular neurones or multipolar giant neurones. The reticular type of neurones constitutes more than 90% of neurones in the BnM. Cholinergic neurones also belong to this cell type. Reticular neurones were further subdivided into four subtypes. Morphological features and arrangement of reticular basal forebrain neurones were identical to those described for "reticular formation cells" or "isodendritic" neurones. Dendritic trees of reticular neurones show a spatial orientation perpendicular to passing fibres as well as a high degree of overlap, both of which are hallmarks of "open nuclei." The qualitative classification of Golgi-impregnated basal forebrain neurones was substantiated by a computer-based three-dimensional analysis. Topologic and metric parameters of the dendritic tree were calculated for each type of neurone to characterise the degree of dendritic branching, the shape and orientation of the dendritic arborisation, the spatial extension of the dendritic tree, and soma size. The classification criteria were evaluated according to their power of discrimination between different cell types by means of a discriminant analysis. The quantitative approach applied in the present study not only provides an objective measure for the description and comparison of the structure of various types of neurones but also makes it possible to elucidate fine structural changes that might occur under pathologic conditions and that are not evident during qualitative studies alone.
在本研究中，对正常人基底前脑神经元的树突组织进行了分析，以此作为评估阿尔茨海默病及相关病症中发生的病理变化的前提条件（见本期阿伦特等人的其他论文）。在高尔基染色后，对迈内特基底核（NbM）、斜角带垂直支核和内侧隔核中的神经元进行了检查。根据树突分支模式和胞体形状，将细胞分为网状神经元或多极巨神经元。网状神经元类型占基底前脑核中神经元的90%以上。胆碱能神经元也属于这种细胞类型。网状神经元进一步细分为四个亚型。网状基底前脑神经元的形态特征和排列与“网状结构细胞”或“等树突状”神经元所描述的特征相同。网状神经元的树突显示出与通过的纤维垂直的空间取向以及高度的重叠，这两者都是“开放核”的标志。基于计算机的三维分析证实了高尔基染色的基底前脑神经元的定性分类。计算每种类型神经元树突的拓扑和度量参数，以表征树突分支程度、树突分支的形状和取向、树突的空间延伸以及胞体大小。通过判别分析，根据不同细胞类型之间区分的能力来评估分类标准。本研究中应用的定量方法不仅为描述和比较各种类型神经元的结构提供了客观的衡量标准，而且还使得阐明在病理条件下可能发生的、仅在定性研究中不明显的细微结构变化成为可能。
