Nishizaki, Kazunori

The present study showed that many neurons in the adult rat brain possessed a perineuronal sulfated proteoglycan surface coat which reacted to cationic iron colloid and aldehyde fuchsin. This surface coat was stained supravitally with Ehrlich's methylene blue and doubly stained with Ehrlich's methylene blue and aldehyde fuchsin. The surface coat was also stained with Gomori's ammoniacal silver and doubly stained with Gomori's ammoniacal silver and cationic iron colloid. The surface coat was usually expressed together with a nerve cell surface glycoprotein net detectable with lectin Wisteria floribunda agglutinin. These findings indicate that the perineuronal proteoglycan surface coat is identical to Cajal's superficial reticulum and contains some collagenous elements. It was further demonstrated that collagenase digestion erased Gomori's ammoniacal silver impregnation within the perineuronal proteoglycan surface coat.

Unilateral cystic inner ear anomalies were diagnosed in two siblings, a 9 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. X-ray examination of the temporal bone was performed, together with audiological examinations and vestibular function tests. The common tomographic X-ray findings consisted of an enlarged solitary sac type deformity of the vestibule with narrowing of the internal auditory canal, severe hypoplasia of the anterior semicircular canal and no visualized cochlea. Pure-tone audiometry revealed severe mixed type of hearing loss in the right ear in both children. The test for vestibular function showed no response to caloric testing.