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55. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie e. V. (DGNC)
1. Joint Meeting mit der Ungarischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC) e. V.

25. bis 28.04.2004, Köln

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Pathological change of the morphology and synaptic spine densities of dendrites of granule cells in patients suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy

Pathologische Veränderung der Dichte von synaptischen Spines an Dendriten von Körnerzellen im Hippocampus von Patienten mit Temporallappen-Epilepsie

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  • corresponding author Thomas Freiman - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Institut für Anatomie und Zellbiologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg
  • J. Eismann - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Institut für Anatomie und Zellbiologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg
  • M. Frotscher - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Institut für Anatomie und Zellbiologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg
  • J. Zentner - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Institut für Anatomie und Zellbiologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Ungarische Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 55. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie e.V. (DGNC), 1. Joint Meeting mit der Ungarischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Köln, 25.-28.04.2004. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2004. DocP 11.121

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/dgnc2004/04dgnc0404.shtml

Published: April 23, 2004

© 2004 Freiman et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

Text

Objective

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is frequently associated with a sclerosis of the hippocampus, also known as Ammon’s horn sclerosis (AHS). These hippocampi show a significant neuron loss with astrogliosis and an enlargement of the granule cell layer (GCL dispersion). The GCL is a cell layer which is surprisingly not affected by the neuron loss. In a former paper we have already demonstrated that these granule cells of AHS patients display a dramatic change of their axons (mossy fibres), which grow back to their original cell layer. We examined the morphology and the density of dendritic synaptic input (dendritic spines) of granule cells.

Methods

Hippocampal specimens were obtained from hippocampi of patients treated for pharmaceutically intractable TLE (n=12) and with temporal tumours, who served as controls (n=3). The GCL dispersion and the back-grown mossy fibres of the two groups were compared with Silver-Impregnations. The granule cells were reconstructed and the morphology and spine density were evaluated by an optical analysis system (Neurolucida).

Results

Dendrites of granule cells of AHS patients display a swelling and a spine loss of their apical dendrites. This spine loss correlates with the extent of GCL dispersion. In addition to the spine loss, these granule cells develop newly-formed basal dendrites with a compensatory increased spine density.

Conclusions

Spines on apical dendrites of granule cells reflect the normal input. As the mossy fibre system grows back to the GCL, a dramatic change of synaptic input occurs and leads to changes of the spine density. The basal dendrites lose spines and the new basal dendrites probably form new synaptic contacts because they are closer to the back-grown mossy fibres.