title: Soma size of substantia nigra neurons increases after a prenatal neocortical lesion in cats.
abstract: Seeking an explanation for an increase in volume of the caudate nucleus in adult cats that had sustained a fetal unilateral neocortical lesion, we investigated possible morphological changes in the reciprocally interconnected substantia nigra. In fetal-lesioned cats the cross-sectional area of neuronal somata in substantia nigra, pars reticulata was 33% larger than in control cats (P<0.05), while in pars compacta there was a marked tendency to an increase (25%, P<0.06). This size increase might have caused the survival of a larger number of caudate nucleus neurons during development, and thus contributed to the reported increase in caudate nucleus volume.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Mental Retardation Research Center, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA. l.d.loopuyt@uni-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Loopuijt
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Villablanca
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharifi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D048429:Cell Size; D002470:Cell Survival; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology; D019579:Neocortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000293:injuries*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D049188:Prenatal Injuries; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology*