A structured program in BASIC for the analysis of peripheral nerve morphometry.
The BASIC program developed for use on a M.S.I. 6800 microprocessor analyses cross-sectional measurements of fibre (D) and axon (d) calibre made on electron micrographs of suitable magnification. Data input routines cover measurements of area and diameter, made manually or presented as fully computed values printed out by a M.O.P. Separate sub-routines input digitized data from a digitizer tablet coupled to the microprocessor. Myelin sheath thickness (2M) (D-d), or area and 'g' (d/D) are derived. The two analytical programs provide either frequency distributions, with associated statistics for each parameter, or analyses of the relationships (D:d), (d:2M) and (D:g). The highly structured nature of the program permits it to be edited or extended according to the project. The main programme controls the overall flow of analysis; discrete subprograms inserted into the main program perform the data input, parameter derivations, data checks and analyses. This system offers maximum flexibility and is suitable for most morphometric investigations involving peripheral nerves.
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003201:Computers; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008838:Microcomputers; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats