Swanson L W
Brain Res. 1976 Jun 25;110(1):39-56. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(76)90207-9.
The locus coeruleus of the adult albino rat is a clearly delimited nucleus in Nissl-stained preparations. It is surrounded by an extensive, relatively neuron-free neuropil which is not stained in reduced silver and Luxol fast blue preparations. Most if not all locus coeruleus neurons contain the enzyme dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) and are thus presumably adrenergic. Two general classes of medium-sized neuron were found in the locus coeruleus in Nissl- and DBH-stained material: multipolar and somewhat smaller fusiform cells. The nucleus was divided into dorsal and ventral parts cytoarchitectonically; the two are distinguished in that (a) fusiform rather than multipolar cells predominate in the dorsal division, (b) cells in the dorsal division are more densely packed, and (c) a majority of the cells in the dorsal division are aligned obliquely in a dorsolateral to ventromedial orientation when viewed in the frontal plane, and longitudinally (anteroposteriorly) when viewed in the horizontal and sagittal planes. The locus coeruleus contains an estimated 1643 +/- 21 neurons (+/- S.E.M.; N=12) as determined in Nissl-stained paraffin sections, and 1439 +/- 29 neurons (+/- S.E.M.; N=6) as determined in DBH-stained frozen sections. The latter estimate is less reliable because of some uncertainty about section thickness. The ventral division of the locus coeruleus has an estimated 210 +/- 11 neurons (+/- S.E.M.; N=6). In Golgi-Cox material counterstained with cresyl violet most locus coeruleus neurons could also be classified as multipolar or fusiform, the latter being somewhat smaller. Typically, both types of neuron have relatively long thin dendrites which branch once or twice and extend well beyond the limits of the nucleus into surrounding neuropil and nuclear areas, particularly the mesencephalic nucleus of the trigeminal nerve and pontine central gray. Spines, consisting of a thin stalk of variable length with a small bulb at the end or just a thin stalk, were scattered infrequently but regularly along all dendrites and a majority of the somata of both classes. Very thin locally ramifying axon-like plexuses were impregnated in several locus coeruleus neurons, as were larger (about 3 mum diameter) projecting axons. Only about 0.07% of the locus coeruleus neurons were impregnated in the Golgi-Cox material although a wide range of impregnation times and ages was used.
成年白化大鼠的蓝斑在尼氏染色标本中是一个界限清晰的核团。它被广泛的、相对无神经元的神经毡所包围，在还原银染色和卢克斯ol坚牢蓝染色标本中不着色。大多数（如果不是全部）蓝斑神经元含有多巴胺-β-羟化酶（DBH），因此推测为肾上腺素能神经元。在尼氏染色和DBH染色材料中，在蓝斑发现了两类中等大小的神经元：多极神经元和稍小的梭形细胞。从细胞构筑学上看，该核团分为背侧和腹侧两部分；两者的区别在于：（a）在背侧部分，梭形细胞而非多极细胞占主导；（b）背侧部分的细胞排列更密集；（c）在额平面观察时，背侧部分的大多数细胞呈背外侧到腹内侧的倾斜排列，在水平和矢状平面观察时呈纵向（前后）排列。在尼氏染色的石蜡切片中测定，蓝斑估计含有1643±21个神经元（±标准误；N = 12），在DBH染色的冰冻切片中测定为1439±29个神经元（±标准误；N = 6）。由于切片厚度存在一些不确定性，后一个估计值不太可靠。蓝斑腹侧部分估计有210±11个神经元（±标准误；N = 6）。在用甲酚紫复染的高尔基-考克斯材料中，大多数蓝斑神经元也可分为多极或梭形，后者稍小。通常，这两种类型的神经元都有相对细长的树突，树突分支一到两次，并延伸到核团界限之外，进入周围的神经毡和核区，特别是三叉神经中脑核和脑桥中央灰质。棘突由长度可变的细柄和末端的小泡或仅一个细柄组成，不频繁但有规律地散布在所有树突以及这两类神经元的大多数胞体上。在几个蓝斑神经元中，极细的局部分支的轴突样丛被浸染，较大的（约3μm直径）投射轴突也是如此。尽管使用了广泛的浸染时间和年龄范围，但在高尔基-考克斯材料中，只有约0.07%的蓝斑神经元被浸染。
