Intraocular Neurografts as a Model for Studying of Organization of Synaptic Connections in a Denervated Brain Area
- Authors: Zhuravleva Z.N.1, Khutsyan S.S.1,2, Zhuravlev G.I.2
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Affiliations:
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences
- Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences
- Issue: Vol 166, No 6 (2019)
- Pages: 816-819
- Section: Methods
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/0007-4888/article/view/241402
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-019-04447-7
- ID: 241402
Cite item
Abstract
Intraocular neurografts of the septal region of rats were used as the model of deafferentiated brain area where the lack of adequate innervation is compensated for own interneuronal connections. Septum anlage from the brain of a 17-day fetus served as the donor material. The grafts developing in the anterior eye chamber over 3 months represented well-differentiated samples of the nervous tissue. A comparative morphometric study of the tripartite organization of synapses in the grafts and in the septum in situ was conducted. In the grafts, the mean volume and perimeter of synaptic terminals were below the normal. At the same time, postsynaptic densities did not differ from the control. A significant difference was found in the degree of surrounding of presynaptic terminals by astrocytic processes: in the grafts this parameter was higher by 1.8 times. Our results attest to an important role of perisynaptic glia in the formation of functionally active synaptic contacts with unusual neuronal targets.
About the authors
Z. N. Zhuravleva
Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Author for correspondence.
Email: zhuravleva@iteb.ru
Russian Federation, Pushchino
S. S. Khutsyan
Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences; Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Email: zhuravleva@iteb.ru
Russian Federation, Pushchino; Pushchino, Moscow region
G. I. Zhuravlev
Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Email: zhuravleva@iteb.ru
Russian Federation, Pushchino, Moscow region