title: Mitochondrial density of ventral horn neurons in the rat spinal cord.
abstract: Mitochondrial density in neurons of the dorsolateral region of the ventral horn at the L5 spinal cord segment in rats was examined using electron microscopy. The gamma motoneurons had a higher density of mitochondria (25.1 +/- 4.2%, n = 19) in the cytoplasm compared to the alpha motoneurons which had a mitochondrial density of 19.4 +/- 4.5% (n = 38). An inverse relationship between cell body size and mitochondrial density was found for alpha (n = 38) and alpha plus gamma (n = 57), but not for gamma (n = 19), motoneuron populations. The higher densities of mitochondria in the smaller neurons correspond well with their metabolic properties since the smaller neurons have the highest oxidative enzyme activities.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurochemistry, Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tamada
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Edgerton
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ibata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000870:Anterior Horn Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D048429:Cell Size; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology*