DENDRITIC ALTERATIONS IN CORTICAL PYRAMIDAL CELLS IN THE SPARSE FUR MOUSE

Ornithine carbamoyltransferase deficiency, an X-linked trait, leads to toxic hyperammonemia in sparse fur (spf/Y) mice. Quantitative analysi s of the basilar dendritic tree of layer V pyramidal cells in frontopa rietal cortex stained by the Golgi Kopsch method revealed a significan t decrease in both the complexity of the dendritic arbor and in dendri tic terminal spine density (60%) in spf/Y mice compared with controls. Such reductions may contribute to behavioral dysfunction observed in spf/Y mice. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.