Bjugn R, Gundersen H J
Department of Anatomy, University of Bergen, Norway.
J Comp Neurol. 1993 Feb 15;328(3):406-14. doi: 10.1002/cne.903280307.
The total numbers of neurons and glial and endothelial cells in five rat spinal cords were estimated by stereological techniques. Each spinal cord was divided into 12 slabs of equal length. One transverse and one oblique slice was cut from each slab. The volumes of gray and white matter of each cord were then estimated by point-counting techniques on the transverse slices. By means of optical disectors and systematic sampling, the numerical densities of different cell types were estimated on 35 microns-thick plastic sections from the oblique slices. The total cell number was calculated by multiplying the numerical density by the total volume of gray and white matter. On average there were 15.1 and 21.1 million cells in white and gray matter, respectively. Of the cells in gray matter, 6.4 million were judged to be neurons, 4.3 million to be endothelial, and 10.3 million to be glial. Of the neurons, 1.7 million were located in the cervical region, 2.5 million in the thoracic, 1.6 million in the lumbar, and 0.6 million in the sacro-coccygeal region. The methods used are simple to perform, and the counting necessary to obtain a reliable estimate of cell number from one spinal cord can be carried out during the course of 1 day. The only major problem is reliable criteria for unambiguous cell classification.
采用体视学技术估算了五只大鼠脊髓中神经元、神经胶质细胞和内皮细胞的总数。每根脊髓被分成12个等长的薄片。从每个薄片上切下一片横向切片和一片斜向切片。然后通过对横向切片进行点计数技术来估算每根脊髓灰质和白质的体积。借助光学分割器和系统抽样，在斜向切片35微米厚的塑料切片上估算不同细胞类型的数值密度。通过将数值密度乘以灰质和白质的总体积来计算细胞总数。平均而言，白质中有1510万个细胞，灰质中有2110万个细胞。灰质中的细胞中，640万个被判定为神经元，430万个为内皮细胞，1030万个为神经胶质细胞。在神经元中，170万个位于颈部区域，250万个位于胸部，160万个位于腰部，60万个位于骶尾区域。所使用的方法操作简单，从一根脊髓获得可靠的细胞数量估计所需的计数可在一天内完成。唯一的主要问题是明确细胞分类的可靠标准。
