Chandelier neurons within the rabbits' cerebral cortex. A Golgi study

This study has been carried out by light microscopy on 3 Golgi-Kopsch impregnated brains of young adult rabbits. It is shown that chandelier cells exist within the rabbits' cerebral cortex. In the rabbit, the chandelier cell is a medium ranged bipolar interneuron in layer II/III with a characteristic axon which forms a plexus with a diameter of about 350-500 micrometers in the horizontal and 200-350 micrometers in the vertical direction; the end of each ramulus forms the typical "candlestick", a little vertical string of 1-6 boutons on an axon fibre. These boutons form contacts with all parts of pyramidal cells in layer II and the upper part of layer III. Similarities and differences with respect to previous descriptions of these cells in other species are discussed.