Pattern of structural differentiation in the optic nerve of trout (Salmo gairdneri)

The development of the trout optic nerve is quantitatively described from early ontogenesis into adulthood. The nerve is oval in cross section until stage 34, thereafter the formation of vertically aligned parallel folds can be observed and thus the unique shape of a folded ribbon is gradually attained. Quantitative measurements revealed a linear increase in cross sectional area, caused in part by the formation of new folds and in part by an increase in size of the preexisting ones. We attribute the continuous expansion of individual folds to an increase in fiber size subsequent to myelination rather than to the addition of new fibers. The total number of glial cells increased concomitantly per fold.Myelinogenesis starst at stage 33 with the ensheathement of axons beginning at the dorsal edge of the primary fold and follows a highly ordered pattern throughout development, strictly succeeding neural outgrowth. The functional significance of this pattern is discussed.