Dendritic spinules in rat nigral neurons revealed by acetylcholinesterase immunocytochemistry and serial sections of the dendritic spine heads.

Katsuyoshi Ishii; Tsuyako Hayashida; Tsutomu Hashikawa; Shigeru Tsuji

Vol 42, No 2 (2004)

Original paper

Submitted: 2011-12-19

Published online: 2004-07-16

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Dendritic spinules in rat nigral neurons revealed by acetylcholinesterase immunocytochemistry and serial sections of the dendritic spine heads.

Katsuyoshi Ishii, Tsuyako Hayashida, Tsutomu Hashikawa, Shigeru Tsuji

Folia Histochem Cytobiol 2004;42(2):77-81.

Vol 42, No 2 (2004)

ORIGINAL PAPERS

Submitted: 2011-12-19

Published online: 2004-07-16

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.