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Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Biocytin Recovery and 3D Reconstructions of Filled Hippocampal CA2 Interneurons
Published on: November 20, 2018
[Three-dimensional structural reconstruction of the neurons and astrocytes in rat hippocampal CA3 area]
Zhi-jun Yang1, Zhi-ren Rao, Ru-xiang Xu
1Department of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, China.
Objective:
To observe the distribution of the pyramidal neurons and the surrounding astrocytes in rat hippocampal CA3 area and reconstruct their three-dimension structure.
Methods:
Whole-cell patch-clamp recording of the brain slices, intracellular staining with Lucifer yellow, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunofluorescence, and confocal laser scanning microscopy were utilized in this study.
Results:
According to the firing patterns, the hippocampal pyramidal neurons were classified into phasic or non-phasic firing neurons. Monolayer scanning and three-dimensional reconstruction showed that many astrocytes aggregated in tight clusters around the pyramidal neurons positive for Lucifer yellow staining, forming close contact. The two types of neurons contacted the astrocytes in different manners. Surrounding the cell body and dendrites of the non-phasic firing neurons, many astrocytes were seen to form contact with the neurons, whereas the phasic firing neurons formed contact with the astrocytes through the dendrites.
Conclusion:
The spatial distribution of the astrocytes surrounding different types of the hippocampal neurons may differ.
