Slice cultures of the imprinting-relevant forebrain area MNH of the domestic chick: quantitative characterization of neuronal morphology.
The persistence of morphological features of neurons in slice cultures of the imprinting-relevant forebrain area MNH (mediorostral neostriatum and hyperstriatum ventrale) of the domestic chick was analysed at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days in vitro. After having been explanted and kept in culture the neurons in vitro have larger soma areas, longer and more extensively branched dendritic trees and lower spine frequencies compared to the neurons in vivo. During the analyzed culturing period, the parameters soma area, total and mean dendritic length, number of dendrites, number of dendritic nodes per dendrite and per neuron as well as the spine densities in different dendritic segments showed no significant differences between early and late periods. Highly correlated in every age group were the total dendritic length and the number of dendritic nodes per neuron, indicating regular ramification during dendritic growth. Since these morphological parameters remain stable during the first 4 weeks in vitro, this culture system may provide a suitable model to investigate experimentally induced morphological changes.
Hofmann
H
H
Federal Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.
Braun
K
K
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D003712:Dendrites / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007173:Imprinting, Psychological; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009474:Neurons / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*