Schönheit B, Kuchinke J
Institut für Anatomie, Medizinische Fakultät (Charité), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Deutschland.
Zentralbl Pathol. 1994 Nov;140(4-5):317-34.
Cortical pyramidal neurons (lamina V, Area 10) were investigated in brain autopsy material obtained from 8 patients with serious bodily and mental retardation, aged between 3 and 24 years. Quantitative neuromorphological estimations of the ramification degree, length and spine density of apical or basal single dendritic fields (SDF) of these neurons were carried out using the impregnation technique of GOLGI and a computer-assisted quantification method. The results were compared with related data found in the prefrontal cortex (Area 10 according to Brodmann) of patients in the same age without neuropathological or psychiatric disturbances. During the normal maturation period the development of dendritic length and spine density reflects the diminution of the relative excess of growth during the early postnatal phase. When comparing the dendritic length or spine density of a SDF in children with that of juvenile adolescents or young adults, the length is reduced by 40%, the spine density by 15%. In the brains of mentally retarded children we found the dendritic length reduced by 30% (apical) or 40% (basal), and a further elongation and ramification of the dendritic tree (especially nonramified terminal dendrites) in juvenile adolescents. However, the spine density showed a significant deficit of about 30% in children as well as in juvenile adolescents. This spine loss may be morphologically related to the symptoms of mental retardation. In these cases, the genetically controlled spine distribution pattern along the dendritic orders was not changed. The results obtained are discussed by taking into consideration data from animal experiments as well in view of the normal or disturbed neuronal development.
对8例年龄在3至24岁之间、患有严重身体和智力发育迟缓的患者的脑尸检材料中的皮质锥体神经元（第V层，10区）进行了研究。使用高尔基染色技术和计算机辅助定量方法，对这些神经元的顶树突或基底单树突野（SDF）的分支程度、长度和棘密度进行了定量神经形态学评估。将结果与在同一年龄段、无神经病理学或精神障碍的患者的前额叶皮质（根据布罗德曼分区为10区）中发现的相关数据进行了比较。在正常成熟期，树突长度和棘密度的发育反映了出生后早期相对过度生长的减少。当比较儿童SDF的树突长度或棘密度与青少年或年轻人的树突长度或棘密度时，长度减少了40%，棘密度减少了15%。在智力发育迟缓儿童的大脑中，我们发现树突长度减少了30%（顶树突）或40%（基底树突），并且在青少年期树突树进一步延长和分支（特别是无分支的终末树突）。然而，棘密度在儿童和青少年期均显示出约30%的显著不足。这种棘丢失可能在形态学上与智力发育迟缓的症状相关。在这些情况下，沿树突顺序的基因控制的棘分布模式没有改变。结合动物实验数据以及正常或异常神经元发育的观点，对所得结果进行了讨论。
