A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF THE GLIA OF THE PURKINJE CELL LAYER OF THE CEREBELLUM IN MAMMALS

Abstract
The cerebella'' of 14 mammals (human, chimpanzee, elephant, baboon, rhesus monkey, marmoset, rat, mouse, dog, cat, rabbit, pig, guinea pig and cow) were examined and the number of each DNA class of glial cell, within the Purkinje cell layer, counted. Diploid glial cells were present in all species and related in number to the surface area of the Purkinje cell. They evidently assisted in the maintenance of the physiology of this latter cell type. Tetraploid glial cells occurred in significant numbers only in the human and chimpanzee and possibly play a part in the establishment of certain learned patterns of co-ordinated movement peculiar to these species.