Biomaterial Database

Postnatal development of the granule cell in the kitten cerebellum. 1978

D E Smith, and I Downs

Newborn to 9-week-old kittens were anesthetized and then sacrificed by inserting a scalpel into the thoracic cavity and severing the descending aorta. The cerebella were removed and processed according to Golgi-Cox and rapid Golgi modifications. The results indicate that the dendritic processes of the granule cells undergo a marked postnatal maturation even though there is little postmigratory change in the size and shape of the cell body. A club-shaped swelling of the distal portions of the dendrites is observed by the end of the first week; this "claw" becomes multilobated by three weeks and displays elaborate digitiform projections by nine weeks. The sequence of postnatal development in the kitten appears to follow a time course similar to that observed in other species. A possible correlation between the postnatal development of the granule cell and the postnatal development of the spincocerebellar system is discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002415	Cats	The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801)	Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
D002531	Cerebellum	The part of brain that lies behind the BRAIN STEM in the posterior base of skull (CRANIAL FOSSA, POSTERIOR). It is also known as the "little brain" with convolutions similar to those of CEREBRAL CORTEX, inner white matter, and deep cerebellar nuclei. Its function is to coordinate voluntary movements, maintain balance, and learn motor skills.	Cerebella,Corpus Cerebelli,Parencephalon,Cerebellums,Parencephalons
D003712	Dendrites	Extensions of the nerve cell body. They are short and branched and receive stimuli from other NEURONS.	Dendrite
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