Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

The 50th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology

Fine structure of neuronal and glial processes in neuropathology, a personal historical note

Asao Hirano, M.D.

Division of Neuropathology, Montefiore Medical Center

Neurons and glia are characterized by their well formed processes and by cell-to-cell relationships. Neurons show cylindrical processes, which form synaptic junctions. On the other hand, the peripheral parts of the glial cells are sheet-like in nature. Thus, the oligodendroglial cells form shovel-shaped myelin sheets around axons. The astrocytes also form delicate sheet-like processes, which separate the central nervous system from the mesodermal tissue and surround neuronal soma, dendrites and synapses.
Fine structural studies in neuropathological material provide many interesting new findings on neuronal and glial processes. This communication highlights my exciting experience studying neuropathology for over 50 years.
Full Text of this Article in Japanese PDF (321K)

(CLINICA NEUROL, 49: 719|723, 2009)
key words: astrocyte, glia, myelin, neuron, oligodendroglia

(Received: 22-May-09)