ABSTRACT
Light microscopy revealed four types of neurons differing by staining intensity and size in each of the pyramidal neuron populations in the dorsal hippocampal fields and layer V of the neocortical somatosensory area and in granular cells of the dentate fascia and stellate cells of layer II of the same cerebrocortical area in rats. Treatment with Polydan according to different protocols led to redistribution of these types of cells, which attests to stimulation of synthetic processes in these brain areas, rather than to similar sequence of the involvement of different brain areas in this process. Polydan promoted the increase in the mean number of nucleoli in the nuclei of neurons of all types, the degree of this increase being different for each type. It seems that morphological signs (staining intensity and number and size of nucleoli in the nuclei) reflect certain functional states of the neurons in the homogeneous populations. Presumably, various factors can stimulate transition of neurons from one morphofunctional status into another.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Cortex/drug effects , Growth Substances/pharmacology , Hippocampus/drug effects , Memory , Neurons/cytology , Neurons/metabolism , Animals , Cell Nucleolus/metabolism , Cerebral Cortex/cytology , Hippocampus/cytology , Male , Memory/drug effects , Memory/physiology , Neurons/classification , Rats , Rats, WistarABSTRACT
New experimental data on the mnemotropic (nootropic) properties of the well-known drug polidan (a DNA derivative) are summarized. The results obtained by histological techniques showed changes in the brain structure, indicating protein synthesis activation under the action of polidan. These results confirm prognostic function of the concept of evolutionary-molecular basis of memory.
