Summary
The cortex and the lateral nucleus of the cerebellum in the normal rat were studied and compared in the electron microscope for examples of changes or apparently spontaneous degeneration in neuronal perikarya and processes. No degenerating neurons and only very rare examples of altered axons were found in the cortex. The lateral nucleus in the same animals, on the other hand, showed degenerating neurons and examples of alteration in dendrites and axons. These changes are interpreted as being examples of remodelling in the lateral nucleus, or neuronal plasticity. Thus, comparison of these two locations in the cerebellum demonstrates that all parts of the brain do not display neuronal degeneration or alteration with equal frequency. The cerebellar cortex appears to have connections that are more stable than the lateral nucleus, one of the deep cerebellar nuclei.
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Supported in part by U.S. Public Health Service Research grants NS10536 and NS03659, Training Grant NS05591 from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, and a Milton Fund Award from Harvard University.
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Chan-Palay, V. Neuronal plasticity in the cerebellar cortex and lateral nucleus. Z. Anat. Entwickl. Gesch. 142, 23–35 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00519874
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00519874