Spatial distribution of neurons and astrocytes in CA3 area of rat hippocampus

Zhijun YANG; Ruxiang XU; Zhiren RAO; Ling WEI; Xiaobin WANG; Xiaodan JIANG

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Astrocytes play active roles in neuronal activity through reciprocal communication with neurons.

OBJECTIVE:

To observe the distribution of pyramidal cells and astrocytes in rat hippocampal CA3 area and to reconstruct their three-dimensional relationship.

DESIGN:

A randomized controlled experiment based on rats.

SETTING:

Neurosurgery department in a university and neuroscience institute in a military medial university of Chinese PLA.MATERIALS The experiment was conducted in the Neurosurgery Department of Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the Neuroscience Institute of Fourth Military Medial University of Chinese PLA from October 2001 to June 2003. Thirty-day-old male SD rats were provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Fourth Military Medial University of Chinese PLA.

METHODS:

The techniques used in this study were brain slice patch-clamping whole-cell recording, lucifer yellow (LY) staining, immunofluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscopy(LSCM).MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

The discharge features of neurons and the spatial distribution of astrocytes.

RESULTS:

The hippocampal neurons were classified into 2 types according to their discharge patterns phasic and non-phasic neurons. The observation under both LSCM and three-dimensional reconstruction revealed that a large number of astrocytes aggregated around LY-dyed pyramidal cells and there were tight contacts between them. The contacts between astrocytes and the two types of neurons differed in that they were found both on dendrites and cell body of non-phasic neurons but on dendrites of phasic neurons.

CONCLUSION:

The spatial distributions of astrocytes around different types of hippocampal pyramids may be different.