Subplate neurons pioneer the first axon pathway from the cerebral cortex

During the development of the nervous system, growing axons must traverse considerable distances to find their targets. In insects, this problem is solved in part by pioneer neurons, which lay down the first axonal pathways when distances are at a minimum. Here the existence of a similar kind of neuron in the developing mammalian telencephalon is described. These are the subplate cells, the first postmitotic neurons of the cerebral cortex. Axons from subplate neurons traverse the internal capsule and invade the thalamus early in fetal life, even before the neurons of cortical layers 5 and 6, which will form the adult subcortical projections, are generated. During postnatal life, after the adult pattern of axonal projections is firmly established, most subplate neurons disappear. These observations raise the possibility that the early axonal scaffold formed by subplate cells may prove essential for the establishment of permanent subcortical projections.     

Prostaglandins: localization in subcellular particles of rat cerebral cortex

Homogenates of rat cerebral cortex contain material corresponding to prostaglandins E(1), E(2), F(1)alpha, and F(2)alpha which are concentrated mainly in the light microsomal and mitochondrial fractions. Only the former fraction exhibits significant ability to synthesize prostaglandins E(1) and F(1)alpha from bis-homo-gamma-linolenic acid. After subfractionation of the crude mitochondrial fraction, prostaglandin E and F material is found mainly in the cholinergic and noncholinergic nerve endings. We conclude that the nerve endings are a storage site, whereas the light microsomes are the site of synthesis.     

大鼠大脑皮质神经元体外分离培养和纯化研究

为建立动物中枢神经疾病的细胞作用模型,根据大鼠大脑皮质神经元的生存特性。按照抑制筛选的原理,对大鼠大脑皮质神经元进行了体外培养、纯化和鉴定。结果表明:培养的大脑皮质神经元在体外发育良好,经神经元特异性的烯醇化酶(NSE)免疫组织化学染色证明其纯度较高,可以用于进一步细胞作用模型的建立。     

Synchronization of unit activity in the cerebral cortex

Simultaneous recording with micropipette electrodes from different units in the cerebral cortex revealed that units seldom fired synchronously. However, there was a temporal relationship in unit firing even when the cortex was "aroused." This relationship was most apparent when strychnine and stimulation were applied to a sensory nerve of an animal asleep or under deep anesthesia.     

Interhemispheric transfer of plasticity in the cerebral cortex

Each half of the body surface is represented topographically in the contralateral cerebral hemisphere. Physiological data are presented showing that homotopic regions of primary somatosensory cortex are linked such that plasticity induced in one hemisphere, in the form of receptive field expansion brought about by a small peripheral denervation, is immediately mirrored in the other hemisphere. Neurons which display the plasticity show no responsiveness to stimulation of the ipsilateral body surface. This suggests that the pathways and mechanisms mediating this transfer are specific to the role of maintaining balance, or integration, between corresponding cortical fields.     

Thermosensitivity of neurons in the sensorimotor cortex of the cat

Extracellular action potentials were recorded from 80 neurons in the sensorimotor cortex of the cat as brain temperature was varied by 4 degrees to 8 degrees C. The discharge rate of 37 percent of the neurons studied increased with increasing brain temperature. The discharge rate varied inversely with temperature in 11 percent of the neurons.     

醋酸铅对体外培养大鼠大脑皮质神经细胞形态的影响

为了观察醋酸铅对神经细胞的形态学影响,通过建立体外培养大鼠大脑皮质神经细胞模型,应用不同浓度醋酸铅(0,50,100,200,400μmol/L)与神经细胞分别培养3、6、12、24 h,倒置相差显微镜观察细胞形态变化.结果显示,醋酸铅与神经细胞共同培养12~24 h,细胞密度降低,胞体变小,突起缩短;随醋酸铅浓度递增,细胞形态较对照组差异愈加显著(P<0.05).表明染铅浓度与神经细胞形态变化存在剂量效应与时间效应关系.     

Dopaminergic terminals in the rat cortex

The destruction of ascending noradreniergic pathways by bilateral microinjections of 6-hydroxydopamnine made laterally to the pedunculus cerebellaris superior completely abolished the in vitro synthesis of [(3)H]norepinephrine from L-[(3)H]tyrosine in slices and in synaptosomes of the rat cortex. However, normal [(3)H]dopamine synthesis could still be observed in both cortical preparations from animals with lesions. These results provide the first biochemical support for the existence of dopaminergic terminals independent of noradrenergic terminals in the rat cortex.     

Patterning and plasticity of the cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex of the human brain is a sheet of about 10 billion neurons divided into discrete subdivisions or areas that process particular aspects of sensation, movement, and cognition. Recent evidence has begun to transform our understanding of how cortical areas form, make specific connections with other brain regions, develop unique processing networks, and adapt to changes in inputs.     

Fate-restricted neural progenitors in the mammalian cerebral cortex

During development of the mammalian cerebral cortex, radial glial cells (RGCs) generate layer-specific subtypes of excitatory neurons in a defined temporal sequence, in which lower-layer neurons are formed before upper-layer neurons. It has been proposed that neuronal subtype fate is determined by birthdate through progressive restriction of the neurogenic potential of a common RGC progenitor. Here, we demonstrate that the murine cerebral cortex contains RGC sublineages with distinct fate potentials. Using in vivo genetic fate mapping and in vitro clonal analysis, we identified an RGC lineage that is intrinsically specified to generate only upper-layer neurons, independently of niche and birthdate. Because upper cortical layers were expanded during primate evolution, amplification of this RGC pool may have facilitated human brain evolution.     

Mirror-image confusion in single neurons of the macaque inferotemporal cortex

Humans and animals confuse lateral mirror images, such as the letters "b" and "d," more often than vertical mirror images, such as the letters "b" and "p." Experiments were performed to find a neural correlate of this phenomenon. Visually responsive pattern-selective neurons in the inferotemporal cortex of macaque monkeys responded more similarly to members of a lateral mirror-image pair than to members of a vertical mirror-image pair. The phenomenon developed within 20 milliseconds of the onset of the visual response and persisted to its end. It occurred during presentation of stimuli both at the fovea and in the periphery.     

Dopamine modulation of the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid on substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons

Studies were conducted to assess whether basal ganglia output neurons originating in the substantia nigra pars reticulata might be affected by dopamine released from dendrites of neighboring substantia nigra pars compacta neurons. Dopamine applied by iontophoresis increased the baseline firing rates of approximately half of the substantia nigra pars reticulata cells tested. The more significant finding, unrelated to the increase in firing, was the ability of dopamine to attenuate the inhibitory responses of these cells to iontophoretically applied gamma-aminobutyric acid. These findings suggest a role for dopamine as a neuromodulator and further suggest that it can act at sites beyond the striatum to modify transmission from the basal ganglia to motor nuclei.     

Visual receptive fields of neurons in inferotemporal cortex of the monkey

Neurons in inferotemporal cortex (area TE) of the monkey had visual receptive fields which were very large (greater than 10 by 10 degrees) and almost always included the fovea. Some extended well into both halves of the visual field, while others were confined to the ipsilateral or contralateral side. These neurons were differentially sensitive to several of the following dimensions of the stimulus: size and shape, color, orientation, and direction of movement.     

Single-neuron activity and tissue oxygenation in the cerebral cortex

Blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging uses alterations in brain hemodynamics to infer changes in neural activity. Are these hemodynamic changes regulated at a spatial scale capable of resolving functional columns within the cerebral cortex? To address this question, we made simultaneous measurements of tissue oxygenation and single-cell neural activity within the visual cortex. Results showed that increases in neuronal spike rate were accompanied by immediate decreases in tissue oxygenation. We used this decrease in tissue oxygenation to predict the orientation selectivity and ocular dominance of neighboring neurons. Our results establish a coupling between neural activity and oxidative metabolism and suggest that high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging may be used to localize neural activity at a columnar level.     

Delayed transneuronal death of substantia nigra neurons prevented by gamma-aminobutyric acid agonist

In an investigation of the mechanism by which brain lesions result in delayed degeneration of neurons remote from the site of injury, neurons within the caudate nucleus of rats were destroyed by local injection of the excitotoxin ibotenic acid. Treatment resulted in the rapid degeneration of the striatonigral pathway including projections containing the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and delayed transneuronal death of neurons in the substantia nigra pars reticulata. The distribution of nigral cell loss corresponded to the loss of GABAergic terminals. Neuronal death was prevented by long-term intraventricular infusion of the GABA agonist muscimol. Delayed transneuronal degeneration may be produced by neuronal disinhibition consequent to loss of inhibitory inputs. Replacement of inhibitory transmitters by suitable drugs may prevent some forms of delayed neuronal death.     

Stimulus-coupled secretion of gamma-aminobutyric acid from rat brain synaptosomes

Synaptosomes treated with radioactive gamma-aminobutyric acid can be stimulated to release this substance. The release is maximal within 40 seconds after stimulation and is dependent on calcium. Magnesium and manganese ions, known to block stimulus-secretion coupling processes, depress calcium-dependent release. This release is specific to synaptosomes because microsomal or myelin fractions do not release accumulated gamma-aminobutyric acid. The data illustrate a simple in vitro system suitable for analysis of secretion of gamma-aminobutyric acid in brain and in addition describe several new aspects of uptake and secretion of this compound at brain nerve endings.     

Binocularly driven neurons in visual cortex of split-chiasm cats

In cats with midsagittal section of the optic chiasm, some visual cortex neurons can be driven not only by the ipsilateral eye, through the direct geniculocortical pathways, but also by the contralateral eye, through the opposite visual cortex and corpus callosum. The receptive fields and the response characteristics observed upon stimulation of the contralateral eye are very similar to those observed upon stimulation of the ipsilateral eye; the two monocular receptive fields of a given cell lie in corresponding points of heteronymous halves of the visual field in close contact with the vertical meridian, thus adding in visual space and forming a binocular receptive area which crosses the vertical meridian and extends equally on either side of it.     

Multiple representations of pain in human cerebral cortex

The representation of pain in the cerebral cortex is less well understood than that of any other sensory system. However, with the use of magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography in humans, it has now been demonstrated that painful heat causes significant activation of the contralateral anterior cingulate, secondary somatosensory, and primary somatosensory cortices. This contrasts with the predominant activation of primary somatosensory cortex caused by vibrotactile stimuli in similar experiments. Furthermore, the unilateral cingulate activation indicates that this forebrain area, thought to regulate emotions, contains an unexpectedly specific representation of pain.     

Reduced numbers of somatostatin receptors in the cerebral cortex in Alzheimer's disease

Somatostatin receptor concentrations were measured in patients with Alzheimer's disease and controls. In the frontal cortex (Brodmann areas 6, 9, and 10) and temporal cortex (Brodmann area 21), the concentrations of somatostatin in receptors in the patients were reduced to approximately 50 percent of control values. A 40 percent reduction was seen in the hippocampus, while no significant changes were found in the cingulate cortex, postcentral gyrus, temporal pole, and superior temporal gyrus. Scatchard analysis showed a reduction in receptor number rather than a change in affinity. Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity was significantly reduced in both the frontal and temporal cortex. Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity was linearly related to somatostatin-receptor binding in the cortices of Alzheimer's patients. These findings may reflect degeneration of postsynaptic neurons or cortical afferents in the patients' cerebral cortices. Alternatively, decreased somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in Alzheimer's disease might indicate increased release of somatostatin and down regulation of postsynaptic receptors.