Delalle I, Evers P, Kostović I, Uylings H B
Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
J Comp Neurol. 1997 Mar 24;379(4):515-22. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(19970324)379:4<515::aid-cne4>3.0.co;2-5.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is present in neurons of the adult human cerebral cortex. In view of the reported roles of NPY in the central nervous system in health and during certain disease conditions, we have studied normal development of NPY immunoreactivity (-ir) in the human prefrontal cortex (PFC), Brodmann areas 9 and 46. Twenty-six specimens ranging from the ages of 14 postovulatory weeks to 34 years exhibited patterns that revealed six periods in the development of the laminar distribution and density of NPY-ir neurons. Changes during prenatal and perinatal periods reflect the onset, development, and resolution of the transient fetal telencephalic compartments, including the subplate zone, in which NPY-ir neurons are especially abundant. Before the age of 1 year, the majority of NPY-ir neurons were found in the subplate zone, whereas, after 1 year, the majority were seen in the cortical layers. This is in contrast with the human visual cortex, where the majority of NPY-ir neurons were still located in the white matter. The density of cortical NPY-ir neurons increased in the fifth developmental period (ages 4-7 years), coinciding with the increase of cortical volume and marked progression of cognitive functions. The adult pattern of a relatively low density of cortical NPY-ir neurons was reached in period 6 (from about 8 years), when individual variation also became apparent. Our data point to a protracted maturation of NPY-ir in the human PFC and to different distribution patterns of NPY-ir neurons in different cortical areas.
神经肽Y（NPY）存在于成人大脑皮质的神经元中。鉴于已报道的NPY在中枢神经系统健康状态及某些疾病状态下所起的作用，我们研究了人类前额叶皮质（PFC）9区和46区（布罗德曼区）NPY免疫反应性（-ir）的正常发育情况。26个标本，年龄范围从排卵后14周到34岁，呈现出的模式揭示了NPY-ir神经元层状分布和密度发育的六个阶段。产前和围产期的变化反映了短暂的胎儿端脑区室（包括NPY-ir神经元特别丰富的亚板层带）的起始、发育和消退。1岁之前，大多数NPY-ir神经元位于亚板层带，而1岁之后，大多数则见于皮质层。这与人类视觉皮质不同，在视觉皮质中，大多数NPY-ir神经元仍位于白质中。皮质NPY-ir神经元的密度在发育的第五阶段（4至7岁）增加，这与皮质体积的增加和认知功能的显著进展相吻合。在第六阶段（约8岁起）达到了成人皮质NPY-ir神经元密度相对较低的模式，此时个体差异也变得明显。我们的数据表明人类PFC中NPY-ir成熟过程漫长，且不同皮质区域中NPY-ir神经元的分布模式不同。
