Morphometry of ventral hippocampal neurons of CA1-CA4 fields in domestic cattle

Abstract

The aim of the study was a morphometric analysis of the ventral hippocampal neurons of the individual CA1-CA4 fields in domestic cattle (Bos Taurus; N = 6). The hippocampus in cattle is formed by a sizable arched invagination of the medial wall of the lateral ventricle of the brain. The brains were removed and analyzed conventionally with a light microscope. The samples were stained by Nissl’s method. The morphometric analysis of the neurons of the hippocampal CA1-CA4 fields included the following parameters: the area of nervous cells and the area of the cell nucleus in μm2; the nucleus-to-cell ratio in %; the average diameter and perimeter of the nervous cell in μm. The morphometric investigations indicate that the cells of the pyramidal layer in the CA1-CA4 fields of the hippocampus in adult domestic cattle differ in terms of their size, shape, and surface area, as well as the surface area of the cell nucleus. The size of cells in CA1 was the largest, fluctuating around 22 μm, whereas in CA4 it amounted to about 19 μm. Cells in CA1 and CA2 had the largest diameter of about 24 µm, whereas cells in the CA4 field had the smallest diameter of about 20 µm. The results obtained suggest a novel approach to studying the morphometric properties of the hippocampus in domestic cattle. Morphometric studies of the central nervous system (CNS) are regarded as a valuable source of data on the function of environmental and pharmacological factors and their effects on several structures of the CNS.