[MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBSTANTIA NIGRA CELLULAR STRUCTURES OF THE HUMAN BRAIN].

Neurons and glial cells were studied by means of computerassisted morphometry in the segments of the ventral and dorsal regions of the compact part of the substantia nigra (CPSN) of the brain. The material obtained at autopsy from 6 males and 3 females aged from 52 to 87 years. It was found that in segments of the ventral CPSN region the neuronal cell bodies and nuclei were larger than those in the segments of the dorsal region. The numerical density of neurons and gliocytes in the ventrolateral segment was higher than in the segments of the dorsal region. In the ventromedial segment the glial index was lower than in the segments of the dorsal region. The morphometric differences found between CPSN segments must be taken into account in the assessment of the morphological changes in substantia nigra of the brain, due to both age involution or pathological process.

Effects of activated protein C on the size of modeled ischemic focus and morphometric parameters of neurons and neuroglia in its perifocal zone.

The effects of activated protein C (APC) on the quantitative parameters of neurons and neuroglia in the perifocal zone of infarction induced in the left hemispheric cortex were studied in two groups of rats. Group 1 animals served as control (control infarction). Group 2 rats were injected with APC (50 µg/kg) in the right lateral cerebral ventricle 3 h after infarction was induced, and after 72 h the infarction size was evaluated and the neurons and neuroglia in the perifocal zone were counted. APC reduced the infarction size 2.5 times in comparison with the control and reduced by 16% the neuronal death in the perifocal zone layer V, causing no appreciable changes in layer III, and did not change the size of neuronal bodies but increased (by 11%) the size of neuronal nuclei in layer III. The protein maintained the sharply increased count of gliocytes in the perifocal zone of infarction and promoted their growth. Hence, APC protected the neurons from death in the ischemic focus by increasing the gliocyte count and stimulating the compensatory reparative processes.

[Morphological changes of neurons and neuroglial cells in the brain of senescence-accelerated prone 1 (SAMP1) mice].

Computerized morphometry was used to examine the sizes of neuronal bodies and the compactness of arrangement of neurons and neuroglial cells in layers III and V of the sensorimotor cortex in senescence-accelerated prone 1 (SAMP1) mice (an experimental group) and senescence-accelerated-resistant strain 1 (SAMR1) ones (a control group). In the SAMP1 mice as compared to the SAMR1 ones, the neuronal body sizes were significantly unchanged; the compactness of their arrangement decreased by 17 and 20% in layers III and V, respectively; that of neuroglial cells significantly increased by 14% in layer III only. In the SAMP1 mice versus the SAMR1 ones, the glial index rose by 36% in layer III and by 24% in layer V. During simulation of physiological aging, the sizes of neuronal bodies were shown to be virtually unchanged in the cerebral cortex; the compactness of their arrangement (cell counts) moderately reduced and that of neuroglial cells increased, which caused a rise in the glioneuronal index that was indicative of the enhanced supporting function of neuroglial cells during the physiological aging of brain structures.

[Age-related dynamics of structure changes in the 17th cortical area of children with perinatal affection of the nervous system].

Brain autopsy of children standing afterperinatal affection of the nervous system and healthy children without any neurological disorders (a control group) has been studied by computers morphometric methods. The age-related dynamics of structure parameters in the 17th cortical area was investigated. Correlation between increasing of cortical lamina's diameters and age of children with perinatal affection of the brain wasn't revealed. The width of IVand V cortical layers, size of neurons and their density in the cortex of children with perinatal pathology were significantly fewer than in the control group. However the density of glia including GFAP-positive astroglia in the children with prenatal pathology was higher to compare with the control group. We suggest that detected disorders are signs of nonspecific structure-functional changes in the visual cortex and follows destructive and compensatory restorative reactions.

[Visual disorders in children cerebral palsy].

A complex study of 55 patients with children cerebral palsy who complained on visual and eye movement disturbances in the age from 4 to 10 years has been carried out. Main factors in the anamnesis that have negative effect on the organism formation in antenatal and perinatal periods have been analyzed. Most of children had ophthalmologic symptoms (visual acuity decrease, disturbance of pupillary reaction to convergence, disturbance of refraction, refraction strabismus, horizontal nystagmus, restriction of the field of vision, ophtalmoparesis), movement and coordination disorders, mental and speech disorders. Plausibly, the combination of different aversive factors in the antenatal, intranatal and neonatal periods led to the brain lesion, including structures of movement and visual analyzers and their links to other analyzers, that determined the clinical picture of disease.

[Risk factors and sequels of perinatal nervous system lesions].

The review of the data available in the literature gives the present views of the causes of perinatal nervous system lesions and risk factors predisposing to the development of this pathology. It also presents the data on different types of lesions of the cerebral cortex, nuclei basalis, and ventricular system, which have been obtained by neuroimaging (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) and morphological studies. The time of intrauterine cerebral periventricular lesion is discussed.

Structural changes in visual cortex area 17 in children with aftereffects of perinatal injury to the central nervous system.

Structural characteristics of the visual cortex area 17 were studied by computer morphometry on autopsied specimens of the brain from children with perinatal injury to the central nervous system and in a group of control children without symptoms of brain injury. In children with perinatal pathology, the thickness of the cortex and its individual layers (IV, V, VI+VII) increased unevenly during the 1st year of life, the density of neurons decreased, while the content of neuroglia increased. These disorders reflect nonspecific structural and functional changes in the visual cortex associated with perinatal cerebral pathology.

[Botox in children with cerebral palsy and triceps syndrome]. / Botoks pri tritseps-sindrome u detei s tserebral'nym paralichom.

Botulinum toxin (botox) therapy was used in the children with cerebral palsy. Nine children, aged 3-6 years, with "triceps-syndrome" domination in a clinical picture, have been examined and treated. Control group included 9 children who have not been treated with botox. A three-week rehabilitation course has been prescribed to all the patients. Children treated by botulinum toxin injections performed better back of the foot bending, some electroneuromyographical indices being also optimized. The results obtained imply a use of botox for treatment of children with spastic forms of cerebral palsy.