The ultrastructure of the filum terminale
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1
Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Hungary
The filum terminale (FT) is the most caudal portion of the spinal cord. Recent studies disclosed that the similarly to the spinal cord, the FT consist of white and gray matters surrounding the caudal extension of the central canal (CC). Ultrastructural studies on the FT of rats, cats and a monkey showed the following components. 1) Ependymal cells with cilia and microvilli lining the CC. Liquor contact neuron and a convolute of axon terminals inside the CC were seen in the rat. 2) Small size - 8-15 μm in diameter - often longitudinally oriented neurons and mainly longitudinally oriented dendrites of various diameter. 3) The classical forms of axosomatic and axondendritic synapses. Rosettes of several axon terminals of 1 to 2 μm in diameter around a dendrite were frequently seen. No large size axons, no axonal glomerulus and no axo-axonic connections were found. 4) Myelinated and unmyelinated fibers were coursing in the peripheral region of the FT forming the white matter. - The FT of the cat contained a large number of extremely fine unmyelinated fibers and processes of fibrous astrocytes. In the FT of the monkey the nervous tissue was organized in spheres of 50 to 80 μm in diameter that were loosely connected to the basal surface of the ependyma. Perikarya of neurons, glial cells and numerous myelinated nerve fibers occurred in the spheres. Synapses in the form of rosettes in which a dendrite was surrounded by several presynaptic terminals occurred frequently also in the monkey.
Conference:
12th Meeting of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society, Budapest, Hungary, 22 Jan - 24 Jan, 2009.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Developmental neurobiology and subcortical functions
Citation:
Lukácsi
E,
Boros
C,
Horvath
EO and
Rethelyi
M
(2009). The ultrastructure of the filum terminale.
Front. Syst. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
12th Meeting of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.01.2009.04.064
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Received:
09 Mar 2009;
Published Online:
09 Mar 2009.
*
Correspondence:
Erika Lukácsi, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, elukacsi@ana.sote.hu