Chandelier cells in the auditory cortex of monkey and man: a Golgi study

Using the Golgi method we studied chandelier cells in the auditory cortex of monkeys (Macaca irus) subjected to hypoxia before perfusion, and in newborn humans deceased in hypoxic states. In humans these cells have round or ovoid bodies showing usually beaded and sparsely-spined dendrites. These may arise either from both apical and basal poles or from all directions of the soma. With respect to their axons, we found two different types of chandelier cells: cells with extended chandelier complexes which occupied several cortical layers, and cells with local chandelier complexes. The former has rows of vertical terminal endings and the latter has vertical terminals and curved beaded fibers. In adult monkeys, chandelier cells show similar characteristics. The possible relationships between chandelier cells, hypoxia and epilepsy, is discussed.