Vol 150, No 4 (2016)

Age-related changes in the hippocampus (HC) result in the disturbances of all types of memory and the shifts of emotional reactions. The aim of the present study was to examine the morphometric parameters of neurons of human HC during the aging process. The material was obtained at autopsy of the bodies of 43 individuals of both sexes aged 21-92 years that were divided into 4 age groups. The sections were stained with Nissl’s cresyl violet for identification of neurons. The neurons were counted within the standard area and their profile field area was measured in HC proper, in the area of fields CA1 and CA3, and in dentate gyrus in the hippocampal pes. It was found that with aging human HC underwent a heterochronic loss of nerve cells, the intensity of which differed at the level of the middle part and the hippocampal pes. The degree of age-related loss of nerve cells in human HC increased in the direction: dentate gyrus → CA3 → CA1. In most compartments of HC, a compensatory increase of the neuron profile field area was observed in the period from 36 to 74 years, giving place to its reduction in individuals older than 75 years.

The aim of this work was an immunohistochemical study of the expression of neuronal and glial proteins, and of gap junctions proteins (connexin 36, connexin 43) in ventral posteromedial (VPMN), ventral posterolateral (VPLN) and reticular (RТN) nuclei of the thalamus in rats. It was found that VPMN and VPLN of the thalamus were characterized by a homogeneous distribution of synaptophysin, grouped arrangement of astrocytes, horizontal orientation of somatostatin-containing myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers, forming the bundles, and running through the barreloid septum, expression of connexin 36 and 43 as well as of parvalbumin revealing barreloids in 4 μm-thick sections. In RTN the content of myelin basic protein, neurofilaments, parvalbumin, and somatostatin was increased, while the amount of glial fibrillary acidic protein and connexin 43 was moderate, and synaptophysin and connexin 36 were absent.

The aim of this study - qualitative and quantitative evaluation of synaptogenesis in the developing cerebellum of the rat (postnatal Days 2-45) using immunohistochemical detection of synaptophysin (SYP) as the the marker. The expression of SYP was demonstrated in postmitotic neurons of the external granular layer and migrating precursors of granular neurons of the cerebellum. During the whole period studied, an increase in the width of the zone of synaptogenesis in the molecular layer took place together with the decrease of SYP-immunoreactivity. The reduction in the number of SYP-immunopositive synapses was noted around Purkinje cell perikarya from Day 7 till Day 15. In the internal granular layer, SYP-immunopositive dots were observed that increased in size from Day 2 to Day 45 due to the formation of cerebellar glomeruli. In the cerebellar interposed nucleus, the number and sizes of axosomatic synapses around neuronal perikarya were found to increase during the whole period examined. In the neuropil, the uneven aggregates of SYP-immunopositive axodendritic synapses were observed.

The dynamics of the distribution of GABAergic neurons and neurons expressing different types of GABA receptors (GABAAα1 and GABAB1) was studied in Bötzingercomplex (BötC) in the early postnatal period (the period of functional maturation of the respiratory system in mammals) in norm and prenatal reduction of serotonin content in Wistar rats. The brain was studied on postnatal Days 5, 9 and 20 in two groups of rat pups: control (n=9), born by intact females, and experimental (n=13), born from mothers that received parachlorophenylalanine, causing the depression of endogenous serotonin level. Imunocytochemical methods were used to detect the neurons producing GABA and expressing GABA and GABA Aα1B1 receptors. It was shown that the maturation of the inhibitory GABAergic network in BötC occurred in the early postnatal period (by Day 9). Simultaneously with GABA, the expression of GABA and GABA Aα1B1 receptors took place, however their maturation has the distinctive features. The formation of GABAAα1 receptors occurred earlier (by Day 9) and coincided in time with the expression of GABA. The maturation of GABAB1 receptors happened later - only by the third week. Prenatal serotonin deficiency caused a delay in the expression of GABA and GABAAα1 receptors by the neurons of BötC, as well as the disruption of the formation of a network of terminals and synapses containing GABA, GABAAα1 and GABAB1 receptors.

The aim of the study was to identify the variants of location and branching of the infraorbital nerve (ION) in the infraorbital canal. Using V.P.Vorobyov macromicroscopic method, the head of 23 individuals (11 males, 12 females) ranging in age from newborn to 74 years, was dissected. It was found that ION divided into branches at the level of the inferior orbital fissure, in the beginning of the infraorbital furrow, infraorbital canal, infraorbital foramen and after its emergence from the infraorbital foramen. In some preparations, the additional infraorbital foramina were noted, containing the emerging branches of ION. In 15 preparations ION consisted of 1 trunk and divided into branches in the infraorbital foramen or 3-6 mm distal to it (the magistral type of branching). In 8 cases ION gave 2 or more trunks within the orbital cavity (the dissipated type of branching). Additional infraorbital foramina in most cases had a rounded or rounded-flattened form. The data on variants of the structure and topography of the additional infraorbital foramina are presented.

A large variety of anatomic variants of liver positions and shapes results in a significant variability of the data of its linear dimension determination, which may be the reason for misinterpretation of the information regarding the size of the organ as a whole and of its individual segments, in particular. In this work the analysis was performed of the linear dimensions of the liver, its right and the left lobes measured during spiral computed tomography (SCT), taking into account the anatomic variability of the position of the organ, in 193 individuals of both sexes of juvenile and first period of mature age without pathology of the liver and cardiovascular system. Besides the traditionally distinguished variants of the position of the organ in the abdominal cavity, in part of the individuals examined the combined displacement of the organ relative to the sagittal and frontal planes was noted. It was demonstrated that in combined displacement of the liver in two planes, linear parameters of this organ were extremely changeable and approached the extreme variants of the anatomic variability. The dependence of traditionally measured linear parameters of the liver from the anatomic variant of organ position in the abdominal cavity was studied. The data obtained suggest that the interpretation of SCT results without consideration of the anatomic variant of organ position may lead to erroneous judgments about the size of the liver and its individual parts.

The aim of the study was an analysis of the peculiarities of morphological changes of the placenta in rats with experimental chronic hepatic lesion. Liver injury was modeled in 3-month-old sexually mature female rats by 2-fold intragastric administration of paracetamol at a dose of 2.5 g/kg body weight (drug group, n=15) and a single intraperitoneal injection of D-galactosamine at a dose of 250 mg/kg of body weight (toxic group, n=15). Intact rats served as a control. The placenta examined at Day 21 of pregnancy using histological and morphometric methods. Рroliferative activity of placental cells was evaluated with the immunocytochemical method using antibodies against Ki-67 antigen. The membrane permeability in different trophoblast compartments was examined. It was found that experimental chronic liver pathology caused morphological changes in the placenta, which were manifested by a decrease in the area of its labyrinthine portion, maternal sinusoids in the basal area, fetal capillaries and maternal lacunae of the labyrinth. In addition, in the experiments with an intraperitoneal injection of trypan blue it was shown that changes in the liver caused increased permeability of the placental barrier, and reduced the proliferative activity of trophoblast cells.

The paper presents a method of analysis of cell populations that combines the use of normalized spatial coordinates of the neurons with the morphometric criteria of their evaluation. These algorithms were applied to check the heterogeneity of a population of neurons Y-conducting channel in cat at the level of the lateral geniculate body (LGB). As a specific marker of Y-neurons, SMI-32 antibodies were used. Evaluated The dynamics of the distribution of the number of cells and the orientation of their soma within each layer and mediolaterally along the length of LGB dorsal nucleus (LGBDN). Among the SMI-32-positive neurons, the existence of at least two populations was detected differing in number, orientation and distribution of the soma in different layers of LGBDN. The heterogeneity of Y-neuron population in LGBDN detected in this study is consistent with the earlier electrophysiological data. We believe that the described algorithm for neuronal analysis may be successfully applied to study not only LGB, but also other extensive structures of the brain, including those having laminar organization.