LOSS OF NEURONS AFTER LONG-TERM ADRENALECTOMY IN THE ADULT-RAT HIPPOCAMPAL-FORMATION

THE effects of long-term adrenalectomy (ADX) on hippocampal neurones w ere investigated 5 months after surgery in male Sprague-Dawley rats. C ells in Nissl-stained sections from ADX rats were counted and compared with those in sections from sham-operated rats. The ADX rats had a si gnificantly reduced number of dentate granule cells. A novel finding w as a significant reduction in the number of pyramidal cells in CA1, CA 2, CA3 and CA4 regions of the hippocampus. Thus long-term adrenalectom y causes loss of dentate granule cells and pyramidal neurones of the h ippocampus.