- Portada
- Volume 18 (1999)
- Number 2 - July 1999
- An efficient method to estimate cell number and volume in multiple dorsal root ganglia
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An efficient method to estimate cell number and volume in multiple dorsal root ganglia
Abstract
The combined use of the optical fractionator and the rotator was used to estimate the number of neurons and the mean neuronal volume in multiple and/or individual celloidin-embedded dorsal root ganglia of adult macaque monkeys. The cervical ganglia C4-T2 from both sides were studied. Ganglia from the same side were embedded in a single block and isotropic orientation of each ganglion in the horizontal plane was ensured in order to obtain vertical sections. Sampling, counting and measuring were carried out with the help of an interactive computer system, and test grids were provided by the GRlD® general stereological software package (Olympus Denmark). The mean number of neurons on each side of the C4-T2 set was 236,500, with a moderate variation among animals (CVa =O.13). Of these neurons, 42% were A-type and 56% were B-type. Neuron numbers for each ganglion showed important segmental and side differences both within and between animals. Mean neuronal volume (uncorrected for shrinkage) was 29,862 μm3 for A cells (CVa=0.13) and 5,062 μm3 for B cells (CVa=0.08), and no side differences were found. Soma size distribution was heavily skewed and there was a substantial overlap between the volume distributions of the two cell types.