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  • Title: [Quantitative study of the dendritic spins of lamina V pyramidal neurons of the frontal lobe in children with severe mental retardation].
    Author: von Bossányi P, Becher M.
    Journal: J Hirnforsch; 1990; 31(2):181-92. PubMed ID: 2358662.
    Abstract:
    An altered morphology and number of dendritic spines on neurons of the human cortex has been shown to be associated with aging and neuropsychiatric diseases. Proceeding on this assumption specimens from the area 10 of the frontal cortex collected out of 9 children and adolescents with severe mental retardation, aged 6 to 24 years and also 7 non-neuropsychiatric age-matched controls were processed according to the Golgi-Kopsch method. The number of dendritic spines on the apical dendrite of layer V pyramidal neurons was counted on consecutive segments 50 microns long from the cellular body. Mushroom-shaped, stubby and short, thin spines occur normally, but many apical dendrites could be found with predominantly stubby and thin spines without head in infantile brain damage. Neither spine density (spines/microns) nor spine distribution (number of spines as a function of the distance from cellular body) in the cases with infantile brain damage allowed to state a dependence on ages. Compared with controls the spine density was significant lesser in the affected children and adolescents (p less than 0.05). The spine distribution also along apical dendrite displayed a significant diminution of the number of spines in children from 100 to 500 microns from the cellular body and in adolescents in range from 100 to 250 microns only. A remarkable result was a decreased spine density about 40% in normal adolescents compared with unaffected childrens. This results seems to point out the phenomenon of a spine-overshoot. The spine density of both hemispheres was different significantly in 4 brains of the retardates and in 5 brains of the controls, resulted from right-left-comparisons. A prevalence of the right hemisphere was observed (6 brains). The changes revealed in infantile brain damage are similar to those reported in Down's syndrome, Alzheimer's disease and alcoholism and represent perhaps a morphological correlate to the mental dysfunction.
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