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Lack of evidence for glial cells originating from the external granular layer in mouse cerebellum

  • Published:
Journal of Neurocytology

Summary

In 25 day mice cerebella, a quantitative electron microscopic analysis showed that glial cells were not seen among 749 cells counted in the molecular layer. Likewise, a light microscopic autoradiographic study showed that labelled oligodendroglia and/or astroglia in the cerebellum were not derived from the external granular layer (EGL). Previous claims, that these cells derived from the EGL, may have arisen because other cell types, i.e., endothelial cells, pericytes, microglia, and other ectopic granule cells may have been misidentified as oligodendroglia and/or astroglia.

It seems likely that the EGL is a unique germinal cell layer in the mammalian nervous system because it gives rise only to neurons, whereas cerebellar astrocytes and oligodendrocytes are derived from the subventricular layer of the fourth ventricle, as first suggested by Cajal in 1911.

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Author notes

  1. Jeffrey R. Swarz

    Present address: Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 21205, Baltimore, Maryland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Brain Research, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, 14642, Rochester, New York

    Jeffrey R. Swarz & Manuel Del Cerro

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  1. Jeffrey R. Swarz
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  2. Manuel Del Cerro
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Swarz, J.R., Del Cerro, M. Lack of evidence for glial cells originating from the external granular layer in mouse cerebellum. J Neurocytol 6, 241–250 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01261508

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01261508

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