Elsevier

Neuroscience

Volume 167, Issue 4, 2 June 2010, Pages 965-968
Neuroscience

Rapid Report
The human dentate nucleus: a complex shape untangled

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.03.007Get rights and content

Abstract

The dentate nucleus is the largest single structure linking the cerebellum to the rest of the brain. The peculiar shape and large size of the human dentate nucleus have sparked a number of theories about the role of the cerebellum in human evolution. Some of the proposed ideas could be explored by comparative studies of humans and apes, but comparative studies are hindered because of the complex three dimensional shape of the human dentate. Here we present a 3D model based on a quantitative reconstruction of the human dentate; this model can facilitate comparative studies. The dentate nucleus has been partitioned into dorsal and ventral lamellae based on sheet thickness. Our data show that the thicker ventral lamella occupies a distinctly smaller portion of the human dentate than previously hypothesized. Within the dorsal lamella there is a medial to lateral increase in depth of dentate folds. However, the dorsal lamella retains a thin sheet thickness unlike the macrogyric ventral lamella, in which sheet thickness is increased. The appearance of larger folds laterally reflects the emergence of secondary folds that could encompass the projection of the cerebellar hemispheres, minimizing convergence of different corticonuclear microzones. Thus, the unique feature of the hominoid dentate is the development of a large surface area and an expansion of its mediolateral width. We propose that this is to allow for a large number of independent corticonuclear modules that can modulate an equal large number of sequential motor acts.

Section snippets

Experimental procedures

Four human cerebella were obtained from the Witelson Normal Brain Collection (Witelson and McCulloch, 1991). All had been stored in 10% formalin. The cerebella were dissected away from the brainstem and cut into two halves along the midsagittal plane. They were then cryoprotected in 15% and then 30% sucrose in 10% formalin, embedded in an albumin–gelatin matrix and stored in 30% sucrose/10% formalin until sectioning. Serial sections in the parasagittal plane were collected and stored at 4 °C in

Results and discussion

We wished to validate the proposed division of the human dentate into structurally unique dorsal and ventral parts. We therefore quantified the dentate lamina thickness as this is the most salient distinguishing morphological parameter used so far (Voogd et al., 1990). We built a detailed three dimensional model of the human dentate from serial Nissl-stained sections (Fig. 1B1–3), and compared this to a model of the lateral nucleus (the equivalent of the dentate in monkeys) of the rhesus monkey

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Sandra F. Witelson for the gift of the human cerebella from the Witelson normal brain collection. Archana Jayakumar and Ginger Lasky provided invaluable technical assistance with the human histology. Supported in part by the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University at Buffalo, by the German science foundation (DFG) and by the Hertie foundation.

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