Summary
The synaptolemma of axo-dendritic synapses in the rabbit striate and peristriate cortex has been examined in the electron microscope. Observations are reported of 1) a subsynaptic organelle, in the juxta-membranous part of the dendrite cytoplasm; 2) a typical attenuation of the synaptic cleft, located at the circumference or at the center of the synaptolemma; 3) interlemmal elements of two types, designated A and B.
The possible functional implications of the findings are discussed in the light of present-day knowledge of synaptic transmission.
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The support by the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Memorial Foundation and the U.S. Public Health Service (Grant B. 4012) is gratefully acknowledged.
The author is Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Memorial Foundation Senior Research Scholar.
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van der Loos, H. Fine structure of synapses in the cerebral cortex. Zeitschrift für Zellforschung 60, 815–825 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00339094
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00339094