Index of NLM Serial Titles


Book Description

A keyword listing of serial titles currently received by the National Library of Medicine.




Heavy Metals in the Brain


Book Description

The importance of transition metals and group II b metals in biological reac tions is becoming increasingly clear. Such metals form an integral part of the structure of many enzymes and non-enzymic proteins and also feature in more reversible interactions between metal ions and large or small biological molecules (Johnson and Seven, 1961). As discussed at the end of this paper, chemical analyses have shown the presence of these metals in the central nervous system and some hypotheses have been advanced concerning their role in more specific nervous activities such as synaptic processes. In order to define more precisely the role of these trace metals it is clearly necessary to investigate their regional and cytological distribution, as may be achieved by the use of histochemical methods. Some of the earliest neurohistochemical studies were concerned with trace metals, especially iron, in the brain (Spatz, 1922). Later reports on the localiza tion of trace metals have been comparatively few, except as regards the hippo campal region. Maske's report (1955) that intravital injections of the coloured chelating agent, dithizone, revealed an accumulation of zinc within the hippocampus, prompted aseries of investigations by Fleischhauer and Horstmann (1957), Timm (1958a), McLardy (1960, 1962, 1963, 1964), von Euler (1962), and others, in which the intravital dithizone method or Timm's sulphide silver method was used. As a result, particularly intense staining was found to correspond to the zones receiving mossy fibre terminals (Cajal, 1911; Blackstad et al., 1970).




Indirect and Direct Wallerian Degeneration in the Intramedullary Root Fibres of the Hypoglossal Nerve


Book Description

In the previous study (Part I) a description was given of the ultrastructural changes occurring during indirect Wallerian degeneration in the intramedullary root fibre region of the kitten hypoglossal nerve. One of the striking features of this degeneration process was the appearance at an early stage of micro glial cells completely covered by myelin, which apparently participated in phago cytosis of degenerating axoplasm and to a small extent of their own myelin covering. Evidence was obtained indicating that the numerous degenerating glial cells seen somewhat later in the degeneration process were derived from these myelin-covered microglial cells. Since glial cells of the type described in the previous study have never been implicated in the process of direct Wallerian degeneration, the possibility exists that they may in fact be characteristic for indirect Wallerian degeneration. However, this possibility cannot be adequately assessed unless our present rather scanty knowledge concerning the early glial reaction during direct Wallerian degeneration is extended. Therefore the present study has been undertaken to examine the ultrastructural changes during direct W allerian degeneration in the kitten, with particular reference to the possible occurrence of myelin-covered microglial cells and degenerating glial cells of the type described in the previous study (see Part I). Since no systematic ultra structural study on direct Wallerian degeneration in immature animals seem to exist, observations on changes in the myelinated nerve fibres and the different types of glial cells have been included.




The Nuclear Envelope in Freeze-Etching


Book Description

During the past twenty years the structure of the nuclear envelope, and in particular, that of its most distinct elements, the nuclear pore complexes, has been described from thin section electron microscopy (e, g., Brettschneider, 1952; Hartmann, 1953; Bahr and Beermann, 1954; Watson, 1954; Kautz and de Marsh, 1955; Watson, 1955), from metal-shadowed (e. g., Callan and Tomlin, 1950; Gall, 1954, 1956) and negatively stained (e. g., Franke, 1966, 1967; Gall, 1967; Yoo and Bayley, 1967) preparations of isolated nuclear membranes as revealing characte ristics common to euka. ryotic cells in general (recently reviewed, e. g., in Gouran ton, 1969; Stevens and Andre, 1969; Franke, 1970). In the recent years the freeze-etch technique (Steere, 1957) has proved to be a particularly useful tool in studying membraneous structures (e. g., Moor and Miihlethaler, 1963; Branton and Moor, 1964; Branton, 1966; Koehler, 1968b; Staehelin, l968a; Northcote, 1968a; Branton, 1969; Moor, 1969a). So this method has especially broadened the knowledge, e. g., on bacterial membranes (Bayer and Remsen, 1970; Nanninga, 1970), on erythrocyte plasma membranes (Weinstein and Bullivant, 1967; Meyer and Winkelmann, 1970; da Silva and Branton, 1970; Tillack and Marchesi, 1970), on liver cell membranes (Chalcroft and Bullivant, 1970), on Golgi membranes (Werz and Kellner, 1970; Staehelin and Kiermayer, 1970), on synaptic vesicles (Moor et al.




The Mechanoreceptors of the Mammalian Skin Ultrastructure and Morphological Classification


Book Description

Whilst most of the senses (hearing, sight, smell and taste) have their own organs, the tactile sense is dependent on the sensory nerve endings of the periph eral processes of the nerve cells in the spinal ganglia. These nerve endings are distributed over the entire body. They vary in number and structure according to the nature of the tissue. For instance, the quantitative innervation of the mucosa differs from the innervation of the periosteum or the articular capsules. The skin and its related tissues are relatively richly innervated, but here too there are regional differences. Some areas, such as the skin of the back, have relatively few nerve endings, whilst other parts (e.g. the skin of the fingers) are richly innervated. Most authors describe the nerve endings systematically from the surface of the epidermis to the lower layers of the dermis. On the basis of the topographical criteria, we differentiate between epidermal and dermal nerve endings.




Evaluation of Interstitial Nerve Cells in the Central Nervous System


Book Description

The presence of nerve cells in the white matter of the spinal cord and in the spinal and cranial nerves has attracted the attention of some researchers in the past. Because of their location in such unexpected regions, these neurons provided a rich field of speculation regarding their nature and function. This was partic ularly true about the nerve cells lying in the spinal white matter. From phylogenetic considerations, neurons in the spinal white matter are present more abundantly in amphibians, reptiles and brids than in mammals. A. brief survey of literature on lower vertebrates indicates that GASKELL (1885, 1889) was the first to describe the displaced neurons in the white matter of the spinal cord of alligators and various species of birds. In his consideration they were displaced ganglion cells. In 1902 von KOELLIKER gave an exhaustive account of such neurons in the white matter of the spinal cord of reptiles and birds. In these animals he observed clusters of such neurons running in longitudinal columns and thus was able to group them into nuclei known as "Hofmann's nuclei". Further, he suggested that these nuclei arise from the mass of the ventral horn and that they may give rise t. o preganglionic fibers, motor fibers or ventral commissural fibers. In t. he ensuing years investigation of these nuclei was extended by STREE TER, KRAUSE, TERNI, HUBER and others (quoted from ARIENS KAPPERS et. aI. , 1960, Vol. I, p. 206-210).




Acetylthiocholinesterase Distribution in the Brain Stem of the Cat


Book Description

The earliest studies on the regional distribution of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) within the central nervous system were based on the determination of the amount of CO liberated by homogenates of selected areas in the presence of an ester of 2 choline and a bicarbonate buffer. Using this biochemical approach, Burgen and Chipman (1951) were able to establish that acetylcholinesterase is not evenly distributed within the central nervous system. They found that the cerebellum, the lateral geniculate body, and the striatum contained a high concentration of AChE. The high concentration of AChE in the striatum could be correlated with a higher rate of acetylcholine synthesis. However, this was not the case for the cerebellum, where acetylcholine synthesis was very low. Other in vitro studies have been aimed at establishing the regional distribution of the other two components of the cholinergic system, cholinacetylase (ChA) and acetylcholine (ACh). An equally asymetrical distribution for these substances has been established in vitro (MacIntosh, 1941 ; Feldberg and Mann, 1946; Feldberg and V ogt, 1948; MacIntosh and Oborin, 1953; Quastel, 1962; Mitchell, 1963; Krnjevic and Phillis, 1963; Aprison et al., 1964; McLennan, 1964; Cohen, 1956). The in vitro determination of acetylcholinesterase (Koelle, 1950; Burgen and Chipman, 1951; Giacobini, 1959; Bennett et al., 1966; Fahn and Cote, 1968; Miller et al., 1969) presents the advan tage of permitting the use of a substrate like ACh which is a normally occurring ester of choline so that the establishment of enzyme specificity is less questionable.




Comparative Enzyme Histochemical Observations on Submammalian Brains


Book Description

Comparative neurological studies of the evolutionary development of struc tures within the central nervous system of vertebrates have depended to a large extent upon morphological rather than functional criteria. Classical comparative anatomical studies, which have attempted to demonstrate homologies between parts of the brain in representatives of different vertebrate classes may be grouped under three general headings: 1. comparison of the embryological development of brain structures; 2. comparison in adult forms of the topographical relations of neuron groupings and fiber tracts, and of the morphology of cell types ( cyto architectonics); and 3. analysis and comparison of fiber connections between particular cell groupings or regions. Of these three, the third encompasses func tional relationships most directly, but even in well-defined fiber tracts the direction of conduction often remains indefinite, and the extent and activity of more diffuse systems is poorly known. In recent years a nurober of investigations applying electrophysiological and degeneration methods to submammalian forms have been reported. Those most pertinent to the present studies include the papers of . ARMSTRONG et al. (1953), KRUGERand associates (e. g. HERIC and KRUGER, 1966; KRUGERand BERKOWITZ, 1960; PowELL and KRUG ER, 1960}, GusEL'NIKov and SUPIN (1964) and KARA MYAN and BELEKJIOVA (1964) on various reptiles, and of PowELL and CowAN (1961), KARTEN and REVZIN (1966) and REVZIN and KARTEN (1967) on the pigeon.




Morphogenesis of Thyroid Follicles in Vitro


Book Description

The thyroid gland first appears in the phylogenic scale in the Lamprey larva, Ammocoetes, at the time of metamorphosis (see review by Constantinescu, 1972). In higher Vertebrates the adult thyroid gland consists of vesicles i. e. thyroid follicles containing colloid and lined with a cubic or prismatic epithelium. Since the end of the 19th century, many authors have studied the morphoge nesis of the follicles during the embryonic and fetal development of the gland in Man and other species, principally Chick, Rat and Rabbit. The development of techniques for culturing organs of higher animals, in particular the thyroid by Carrel and Burrows (1910) and Champy (1914, 1915), allowed the study of the survival in vivo or in vitro of grafts or explants of thyroid gland obtained from adult or fetal animals. In addition to organotypic cultures, techniques for culturing cell suspensions obtained by enzymatic dissociation have recently been refined. Moreover, histological examination of pathological human glands and adult thyroids experimentally stimulated by thyrotropin hormone (TSH) has provided additional data for the understanding of thyroid follicle morphogenesis.