The Journal of comparative neurology
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The reorganizations of the overall intrinsic glutamatergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic hippocampal networks as well as the time course of these reorganizations during development of pilocarpine-induced temporal lobe epilepsy were studied with in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry experiments for the vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) and the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT). These transporters are particularly interesting as specific markers for glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons, respectively, whose expression levels could reflect the demand for synaptic transmission and their average activity. ⋯ This is illustrated by a recovery of VGLUT1 immunoreactivity in the inner molecular layer and an increased VGLUT1 immunolabeling in the CA1-CA3 dendritic layers. These data indicate that an increased activity of remaining GABAergic interneurons occurs during the latent period, in parallel with the loss of vulnerable glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons preceding the reorganization of glutamatergic networks.
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Correspondence between the nerve composition and the functional characteristics of its fiber populations is not always evident. To investigate such correspondence and to give a systematic picture of the morphology of the rat hind limb nerves, extensive morphometric study was performed on the sciatic nerve, its founding dorsal and ventral spinal roots, and its major branches. Nerve histology was examined in semithin sections via microscopic image analysis. ⋯ It is anticipated that morphological parameters established in this study would advance the development of neural prostheses in humans. The proximodistal correspondences among the fiber populations of different nerves were established by parametric statistical comparisons. The proposed approach provides a conceptual framework for understanding the comparative anatomy of the peripheral nerves and spinal roots and can be further applied in other species.