title: Dendritic spinules in rat nigral neurons revealed by acetylcholinesterase immunocytochemistry and serial sections of the dendritic spine heads.
abstract: Dendritic spinules of rat nigral neurons were visualized at electron microscopic level by acetylcholinesterase immunocytochemistry and serial sections of the nigral dendrites. The spinules (at least 150 nm in length and 10-20 nm in width) which protruded from the spine heads are found in extracellular space in the neuropil and particularly between nerve terminals of the presynaptic neurons and fine glial processes. The nigral spinules are, however, not observed as invaginated processes in the nerve terminals. The dendritic spinule may be endowed with synaptic plasticity and metabolic exchange between nerve terminals and glial processes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neural Architecture, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama, Japan. ishiik@uci.edu
authors.forename: Katsuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Tsuyako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashikawa
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuji
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013569:Synapses / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase