Biomaterial Database

The somatodendritic domain of substantia nigra pars reticulata projection neurons in the rat. 2007

Carolina Cebrián, and André Parent, and Lucía Prensa

División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, 31080 Pamplona, Spain.

We have examined the morphology of the somatodendritic domain of projection neurons located in different sectors of rat substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) or having distinct axonal arborizations. Forty-three neurons - 23 located in the dorsal half and 20 in the ventral half of SNr - were injected with biotinylated dextran amine and their somatodendritic domain was reconstructed from serial sagittal sections with a camera lucida. The axonal arborization of 14 neurons was also reconstructed. Dorsally located SNr neurons had a larger perikaryon, a higher number of primary dendrites and a more extensive dendritic arbor than the ventrally located ones. However, irrespective of their location in the SNr, the somatodendritic domain was always longer along the rostrocaudal axis than along the dorsoventral and mediolateral axes. Specific correlations between somatodendritic morphology and axonal arborization could be established for some SNr neurons, but among SNr neurons with similar efferent projections, those lying dorsally always exhibited a larger perikaryon and a more widespread dendritic arbor than those located ventrally. These results indicate that the morphology of the somatodendritic domain of SNr projection neurons is related to the location of their perikaryon within the structure rather than to the pattern of their axonal projections.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D009434	Neural Pathways	Neural tracts connecting one part of the nervous system with another.	Neural Interconnections,Interconnection, Neural,Interconnections, Neural,Neural Interconnection,Neural Pathway,Pathway, Neural,Pathways, Neural
D009474	Neurons	The basic cellular units of nervous tissue. Each neuron consists of a body, an axon, and dendrites. Their purpose is to receive, conduct, and transmit impulses in the NERVOUS SYSTEM.	Nerve Cells,Cell, Nerve,Cells, Nerve,Nerve Cell,Neuron
D002452	Cell Count	The number of CELLS of a specific kind, usually measured per unit volume or area of sample.	Cell Density,Cell Number,Cell Counts,Cell Densities,Cell Numbers,Count, Cell,Counts, Cell,Densities, Cell,Density, Cell,Number, Cell,Numbers, Cell
D003712	Dendrites	Extensions of the nerve cell body. They are short and branched and receive stimuli from other NEURONS.	Dendrite
D005260	Female		Females
D000704	Analysis of Variance	A statistical technique that isolates and assesses the contributions of categorical independent variables to variation in the mean of a continuous dependent variable.	ANOVA,Analysis, Variance,Variance Analysis,Analyses, Variance,Variance Analyses
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013378	Substantia Nigra	The black substance in the ventral midbrain or the nucleus of cells containing the black substance. These cells produce DOPAMINE, an important neurotransmitter in regulation of the sensorimotor system and mood. The dark colored MELANIN is a by-product of dopamine synthesis.	Nigra, Substantia,Nigras, Substantia,Substantia Nigras
D013569	Synapses	Specialized junctions at which a neuron communicates with a target cell. At classical synapses, a neuron's presynaptic terminal releases a chemical transmitter stored in synaptic vesicles which diffuses across a narrow synaptic cleft and activates receptors on the postsynaptic membrane of the target cell. The target may be a dendrite, cell body, or axon of another neuron, or a specialized region of a muscle or secretory cell. Neurons may also communicate via direct electrical coupling with ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES. Several other non-synaptic chemical or electric signal transmitting processes occur via extracellular mediated interactions.	Synapse