Correlative microscopy of cerebellar Golgi cells

The cerebellar Golgi cells of mouse, teleost fish, primate and human specie s have been studied by means of light and Golgi light microscopic technique s, confocal laser scanning microscopy. slicing technique, ethanol-cryofract uring and freeze-fracture methods for scanning electron microscopy and ultr athin sectioning and freeze-etching replicas for transmission electron micr oscopy. The Golgi cells appeared in the granular layer as polygonal, stella te, round or fusiform macroneurons surrounded by the granule cell groups. T hey exhibited ascending dendrites toward the molecular layer and horizontal dendrites and a short beaded axonal plexus confined to the granular layer. Scanning electron microscopy revealed their three-dimensional neuronal geo metry and smooth outer surfaces. Freeze-fracture method for SEM showed the stereospatial cytoplasmic arrangement of endoplasmic reticulum, cell organe lles and nuclear envelope. By means of transmission electron microscopy the asymmetric synaptic connections of Golgi cell horizontal dendrites -with m ossy fiber rosettes at the cerebellar glomerulus- and of Golgi cell axons - with granule cell dendrites at the periphery of glomerular region- were ide ntified. At the molecular layer, Golgi cell ascending dendrites exhibited s hort neckless spines establishing asymmetric contacts with granule cell axo ns or parallel fibers. Shaft asymmetric axodendritic and axospinodendritic contacts between Golgi cell dendrites and climbing fibers were also found i n the molecular layer.