The complex-shaped 'perforated' synapse, a problem in quantitative stereology of the brain.
Failure to appreciate the consequences for stereological work of the simultaneous presence of complex-shaped perforated and disc-like non-perforated synapses in brain tissue results in underestimation of synaptic profile length and overestimation of synaptic density when measured in randomly selected ultrathin E-PTA slices. This problem can be solved by using serial slices and a calculation method which makes no assumptions about synaptic size and shape. A three-dimensional reconstruction is unnecessary.
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013569:Synapses / Q000648:ultrastructure*