Golgi study of the isocortex in an insectivore: the common European mole (Talpa europaea).
In the common European mole (Talpa europaea) the isocortex is a six-layered structure representing about 50% of the total cerebral cortex. The internal granular layer is narrow in the occipital region, however, probably reflecting a poorly developed visual system in an animal adapted to life in a subterranean environment. Golgi impregnation of projection cells and most local-circuit neurons of layers III-VI suggests a relatively well-developed isocortex in this insectivore. The presence of extraverted neurons in the so-called accentuated layer II and the amount of local-circuit neurons with very long beaded dendrites, however, probably represents primitive characteristics of the isocortex in mammals.
D000818:Animals; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007312:Eulipotyphla / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008971:Moles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009435:Synaptic Transmission