Morphometric and neurochemical changes in rat superior cervical ganglion during growth and adulthood

Sympathetic innervation of the development, maturity, and aging of the gastrointestinal tract

The sympathetic nervous system inhibits gut motility, secretion, and blood flow in the gut microvasculature and can modulate gastrointestinal inflammation. Sympathetic neurons signal via catecholamines, neuropeptides, and gas mediators. In the current review, we summarize the current understanding of the mature sympathetic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract with a focus mainly on the prevertebral sympathetic ganglia as the main output to the gut. We also highlight recent work regarding the developmental processes of sympathetic innervation. The anatomy, neurochemistry, and connections of the sympathetic prevertebral ganglia with different parts of the gut are considered in adult organisms during prenatal and postnatal development and aging. The processes and mechanisms that control the development of sympathetic neurons, including their migratory pathways, neuronal differentiation, and aging, are reviewed.

Age-related structural and neurochemical changes of the human superior cervical ganglion

The aim of this study was to investigate age-related morphological and neurochemical changes in the human superior cervical ganglion (SCG). Thirty-seven superior sympathetic human cervical ganglia of young, adult, and aged subjects were examined using morphometric analysis, biotin-streptavidin immunohistochemistry for detecting neurofilament, myelin protein, protein gene product 9.5, nerve growth factor receptor p75 in sympathetic neurons and nerve fibers. Morphometric parameters of neurons (area, long and short axis, shape factor of the neuron body, nucleus, cytoplasm, and lipofuscin) were investigated in every sixth serial section of the ganglion. Seven hundred neurons with clearly visible nuclei were measured in each studied group. The present study showed that human SCG of older subjects had larger areas of neuron body, cytoplasm and nucleus, a lower shape factor, an increased amount of lipofuscin, and a greater number of large-size neurons, as compared to SCG obtained from young subjects. Neuronal cytoskeletal alterations manifested themselves through a decreased number of neurofilament-positive neurons were detected in old human SCG. The amount of myelinated fibers decreased with age, although the amount of myelinated fibers in the young and the adult subjects varied from few to a moderate number. PGP 9.5 immunoreactivity varied in different age groups. A marked reduction of nerve growth factor receptor p75 in old human sympathetic neurons was detected. In conclusion, the findings of this study confirm age-related morphological changes in the human SCG. Structural neuronal changes may influence the deterioration of neuronal functional capacity, neuronal plasticity, and regenerative characteristics.

A simple procedure for morphometric analysis of processes and growth cones of neurons in culture using parameters derived from the contour and convex hull of the object

Morphometric estimation of neuronal processes is currently laborious and time-consuming, since the individual processes (axons and dendrites) have to be traced manually. In order to facilitate the measurement of cellular processes, we have tested a series of parameters derived from the contour and the convex hull of an object and estimated to which extent they reflect process length and number. The parameters included the area, perimeter and form factor of the object and convex hull, their ratios as well as object length, breadth, width, length/width and spreading index. Some new parameters derived from the contour and convex hull of the object, were also computed: process index (the number of areas contained within the convex hull outside the object contour), process domain (the total area contained within the convex hull outside the object contour), their ratio and the square root of the process domain (SR process domain). In total, 18 parameters were estimated. Populations of motoneurons, growth cones of cerebellar granule cells and N2a neuroblastoma cells were utilized due to their diversity in morphological features. The processes of each object were drawn by hand to establish the actual length and number. Total process length per object correlated strongly with object perimeter, process domain and SR process domain. The number of processes per object correlated well with perimeter ratio, process index and form factor, whereas object length, convex hull perimeter and spreading index correlated acceptably with the average process length. Using these parameters for the evaluation of neurite outgrowth in developing of hippocampal neurons in vitro, variables such as object perimeter, process domain and SR process domain were found to be very well suited for estimation of the total length of neurites. We conclude that based on the contour and convex hull of an object it is possible to calculate a series of parameters which may substitute direct measurements of process length.

Neuronal changes in the basolateral complex during development of the amygdala of the rat

Neuronal changes in the amygdala basolateral complex were studied during development and maturation in fetal and postnatal rat brains using morphometrical methods. Forty brains of animals of various ages were fixed in formalin, frozen and cut into 25 microm thick sections and stained with cresyl violet or haematoxylin and eosin (H&E). In cresyl violet preparations, the complex appeared for the first time on embryonic day (E)17 and was composed of two homogeneous nuclei lateral and basolateral. On about the seventh postnatal day, each of these nuclei was divided into two parts the first one into the dorsolateral and ventromedial and the second one into the anterior and posterior. Morphometric investigations showed a different increase of the neuronal and nuclear size in various parts of the basolateral complex up to postnatal day (P)14; after that time these parameters did not change significantly. The neuronal density and the total number of neurons stabilized at P7 in all parts of this complex, except for the dorsolateral part of the lateral nucleus in which a 30% decrease of the total number of cells was observed. From P14, in all nuclei under study, the total number of neurons did not change significantly.