Quantitation of Nerve Terminal Networks of Transmitter-Identified Neurons After Selective Neurotoxic Lesions

Abstract

Examples are presented on the use of computer-assisted image analysis for the quantitation of nerve terminal density of certain transmitter-identified (noradrenaline, serotonin, substance P) neuron systems in CNS and PNS demonstrated by histochemical and immunocytochemical techniques. The effects of selective neurotoxic lesions on these neurotransmitter systems and their behavior during conditions of regrowth was investigated. The results obtained with image analysis were compared with measurements of relevant neurochemical parameters for the respective neuron types under identical experimental conditions. The results from the neurochemical analyses were in general in good agreement with those obtained by quantitative image analysis. It is concluded that image analysis is a very powerful and useful tool for quantitation of transmitter-identified nerve terminal networks under conditions of dynamic changes (degen- eration-regrowth) in terminal density.