Purkinje cell body size

As with the vascular pathology, the most pronounced neuronal and glial effects of lead poisoning ai e seen in the cerebellum. Cerebellar weight and total cell number ai e reduced" and the size and morphology of Purkinje cell bodies cire abnormal."" " The intemeuron circuitry of the cerebellum is also altered, since the dendritic development of the Purkinje cells, which form the only efferent elements of the cerebellar cortex, is markedly disturbed by lead exposure. Press observed a decrease in the rate of Purkinje cell maturation in lead-poisoned rat pups from about 5 d onwards such that, at 10 d, the leaded cells retained more perisomatic processes than controls and the den-... 

The quantitative histology study was made on pyramidal and stellate cells in cortical motor area and auditory area of 6 neurological endemic cretins (20—49 years old) and 4 normal adults using Rapid Golgi Silver-impregnated technique. The results showed 1) the body size of pyramidal and stellate cells in these two cerebral cortex areas of cretins were smaller than that of the normal 2) the number in branch of apical dendrite and primary dendrite of pyramidal cells, especially in peripheral dendrite of stellate cells was decreased markedly in comparison with the normal 3) the result above was relative to the severity of the cretinism, i.e. the more severe cretinism is, the more obvious the changes above are, particularly in number of peripheral dendrite of stellate cells. We also found the branch of apical dendrite of purkinje cells in cerebellum of cretins was short and sparse. 

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