Quantitative phylogenetic constancy of cerebellar Purkinje cell morphological complexity

Golgi-stained material of cerebellar cortices from 17 species was examined by measuring the fractal dimensions of the borders of Purkinje cells, which is a quantitative, objective measure of morphological complexity. Nine species (from birds to man) were chosen for a comparison with ANOVA and no statistically significant differences were found in their fractal dimensions. In contrast, a wide range of differences was found in the membrane areas across species lines. The Sholl coefficient, a measure of branch formation and termination away from the soma, showed no consistent pattern for each cell. We interpret our results as indicating a constancy in morphological cellular complexity of Purkinje cells during late evolutionary time.