title: Axon bundle spacing in the anterior cingulate cortex of the human brain.
abstract: The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. Post-mortem axon bundle data will be important to complement novel MRI methods for analysing cortical diffusion data. [Jespersen SN, Kroenke CD, Ostergaard L, et al. Modeling dendrite density from magnetic resonance diffusion measurements. Neuroimage. 2007;34:1473-86] Therefore we aimed to assess perimeter, area, density and spacing of axon bundles in BA24 not previously measured in the human ACC using image analysis of 10 microm-thick tangential sections of layer IV in 4 normal patients. Axon bundle mean perimeter was 53.8 microm, mean area was 197.1 microm(2), mean density was 226.3/mm(2), and mean spacing was 73.8 microm. Thus, axon bundles were widely spaced relative to cell body minicolumns and other prelimbic areas. A review of the literature suggests that there is hierarchical regional variation of bundle and column spacing.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Scienze Psichiatriche e Anestesiologiche, Universitá di Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Rosa
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Crow
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chance
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001369:Axons; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology*; D011180:Postmortem Changes