Mitosis of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex of adult rats.
Adult rats 4-5 months old and 150-200g in body weight were used in this experiment. Lesions were made with antiseptic precaution by excising portions (0.7 x 0.4 x 0.1cm) of the cerebral cortices under ether anesthesia. The animals were sacrificed by decapitation at the time intervals ranging from 1 to 30 days after the operation. Specimens of the brain were removed from the lesions with their adjacent normal areas, and processed for histological and histochemical studies. Mitotic figures were observed in nerve cells adjacent to the lesions. The mitotic process of these neurons is similar to that of the other tissue cells, as it can also be divided into four stages--prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. However, neurons are entirely different from the neuroglia and other tissue cells in that these have characteristic cell processes, i.e. axon and dendrites, while most of the neurons are pyramidal cells of layers II and V of the cerebral cortex. The other characteristic feature is that the dividing neuron contains Nissl bodies in the cytoplasm.
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D008938:Mitosis; D009474:Neurons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D012038:Regeneration