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Neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in developing and adult human CNS
1Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology
|February 12, 1999
Summary
Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) neurons are identified in the developing and adult human brain, with distinct distributions suggesting roles in neurotransmission and development. Their presence in the cerebral cortex highlights a potential guidance function during development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Neuroanatomy
Background:
- Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) plays a role in neurotransmission, learning, memory, and neuronal injury.
- The distribution of nNOS neurons is well-documented in rodents but less so in the human brain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the expression and distribution of nNOS neurons in the second trimester human fetal and adult brain.
- To investigate the potential developmental role of nNOS in the human cerebral cortex.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical analysis of nNOS expression in human fetal and adult brain tissue.
- Assessment of NADPH diaphorase activity as a marker for nNOS neurons.
Main Results:
- nNOS neurons are concentrated in the fetal cerebral cortex (subplate zone and layer VI), striatum, and brainstem nuclei.
- In fetal brain, nNOS neurons in the subplate extend radial processes, suggesting a developmental guidance role.
- Adult human brains show a similar distribution but lower density of nNOS neurons, with the highest concentration in the striatum and neocortex.
Conclusions:
- nNOS neurons exhibit a distinct developmental and adult distribution in the human brain.
- The findings suggest region-specific functions for nNOS neurons in the adult human brain.
- nNOS may play a crucial role in the developmental guidance of neuronal pathways in the human cerebral cortex.