In vitro studies on the maturation of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons.
The use of neural culture is illustrated by the study of the in vitro development of a well defined neuronal system in the brain: the mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons of the rodent species. After a brief survey of its ontogenetic development, the various experimental techniques for its study in vitro are described. Such an approach has allowed the discovery of influences brought by a target area, like the striatum, on the maturation of these neurons. A new kind of local morphogenic interactions between these neurons and their glial partners is also reported.
D000818:Animals; D002449:Cell Aggregation; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000166:cytology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D051379:Mice; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats
D004298:Dopamine