title: Unipolar brush cells in the human cochlear nuclei identified by their expression of a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR2/3).
abstract: Unipolar brush cells (UBCs) reside in the mammalian vestibulo-cerebellum and the ventral (VCN) and, particularly, dorsal cochlear nuclei (DCN). Human cerebellar UBCs are numerous too, but auditory UBCs have escaped detection. The human DCN, considered a degenerated structure, lost lamination and possibly neurons common in lower mammals, like UBCs. We searched for human auditory UBCs probing their immunoreactivity against the calcium-binding protein calretinin (CR-IR), and a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR2/3-IR). We found: UBCs are constituents of the human DCN and VCN, though in small numbers. These auditory UBCs are not CR-IR, in contrast to human cerebellar UBCs and cerebellar and auditory UBCs in non-primate mammals, but display mGluR2/3-IR. The human DCN, thus, appears more complete than previously thought. This may be of interest regarding auditory brainstem electrode implantations in deaf patients.
authors.affiliation: Morphological Brain Research, Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, University of Freiburg, Killianstrasse 5, 79106 Freiburg, Germany. spatz@hno1.ukl.uni-freiburg.de
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Spatz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D048429:Cell Size / Q000502:physiology; D017626:Cochlear Nucleus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; C108822:metabotropic glutamate receptor 2; C102718:metabotropic glutamate receptor 3; D018698:Glutamic Acid