A morphological study of glial cells in the hypoglossal nucleus of the cat during nerve regeneration
- 22 March 1985
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Comparative Neurology
- Vol. 233 (4), 421-428
- https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.902330402
Abstract
The cat hypoglossal nerve and nucleus have been used as a model for the study of the occurrence and time course of modifications in the size and composition of the perineuronal glial cell population as they relate to cytological changes in the nerve cell body and the initiation and progress of axon regeneration. Animals were killed at 2, 5, 10, 20, 35, 65, and 115 days after crush injury to the hypoglossal nerve. At 5 days after surgery, growth cones and regenerating unmyelinated axons were present at the lesion site, but no conspicuous changes were apparent in the nerve cell bodies. At 10 days after surgery, the granular endoplasmic reticulum was disaggregated and depleted. The elongation phase appeared to be completed at 20 days, as judged by the bilateral retrograde labeling of the hypoglossal nuclei with horseradish peroxidase. By 35 days, the cytoarchitecture of the nerve cell bodies and maturation of axons, as determined by a comparison of the relative frequency distribution of cross sectional areas proximal and distal to the lesion, were completely restored. Comparative quantitative light microscopic examination of the hypoglossal nuclei of intact and experimental animals failed to reveal any statistically significant differences in the total number of glial cells, number of glial cells/unit area of neuropil, or relative proportions of glial cell types at any of the postoperative time intervals. Moreover, electron microscopic quantitation of the microglial cell population did not reveal any significant alterations in the number, density, location, or morphology of these cells. These results demonstrate that perineuronal glial cell proliferation or changes in the composition of the glial cell population are not attendant on retrograde changes in the cat hypoglossal nucleus or a necessary concomitant to successful axon regeneration.Keywords
This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- Morphometric measurements and RNA content of axotomized feline cervical motoneuronsJournal of Neurocytology, 1982
- Intraspinal non-neuronal cellular responses to peripheral nerve injuryThe Anatomical Record, 1979
- 5?-Nucleotidase of microglial cells in the facial nucleus during axonal reactionJournal of Neurocytology, 1978
- The perineuronal glial reaction after axotomyBrain Research, 1975
- Neuroglial response to sciatic neurectomy. I. Light microscopy and autoradiography,Journal of Comparative Neurology, 1973
- Quantitative electron microscopy on the injured hypoglossal nucleus in the ratJournal of Neurocytology, 1973
- Investigation of glial cells in semithin sections. I. Identification of glial cells in the brain of young ratsJournal of Comparative Neurology, 1973
- Neuroglial proliferation in the hypoglossal nucleus after nerve injuryExperimental Neurology, 1971
- SOME QUANTITATIVE OBSERVATIONS UPON THE OXIDATION OF SUBSTRATES OF THE TRICARBOXYLIC ACID CYCLE IN INJURED NEURONSJournal of Neurochemistry, 1966
- Respiratory Enzyme Activities in Neurons and Glial Cells of the Hypoglossal Nucleus during Nerve RegenerationActa Physiologica Scandinavica, 1966