Work

Synaptic Rearrangement in the Dentate Gyrus: Histochemical Evidence of Adjustments after Lesions in Immature and Adult Rats

Year: 1973

Type: article

Abstract: In immature animals, ablation of the entorhinal cortex elicited a rapid intensification of acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) staining in the outer one-quarter of the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. Subsequent lesions of the septum eliminated this acetylcholinesterase intensification. Electron-microscopic histochemical analysis demonstrated a 30-fold increase in the number of acetylcholinesterase-positive synaptic endings in the intensification zone. The acetylcholinesterase augmentation thus appears attributable, in part at least, to an increase in the number of acetylcholinesterase-rich synaptic endings established by septo-hippocampal fibers. Observations in a comparative study of immature and adult rats point to the animal's developmental state as a major determinant of differences in these lesion-induced neuronal adjustments.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.70.12.3473

Authors: Carl W. Cotman, Dee Ann Matthews, Dwan Taylor, Gary Lynch

Institution: University of California, Irvine

Language: English

Topic: Memory and Neural Mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health