ASPECTS OF CORTICAL ORGANIZATION RELATED TO GEOMETRY OF NEURONS WITH INTRA-CORTICAL AXONS

Using the Golgi method, cells with intra-cortical axons in the visual cortex of young mice were classified according to defined geometrical axonal shapes. A computer technique and its application to the study of neuronal morphology were described. Neurons were converted in a sequence of 3-coordinate points which were stored in digital form on magnetic tape. From the stored data the total real length in space of dendrites and axons was obtained and the results compared in 2 groups of mice under different conditions. Preliminary observations showed short axonal lengths in mice raised in darkness. Using Eulerian coordinate transformations, reconstructions of individual neurons and of groups of several neurons and fibers were obtained by generating displays of different views after rotation around the horizontal axis. Reconstructed pictures were compared with their corresponding original drawings to describe particular aspects of cortical organization.