Scanning Electron Microscopic Observation of the Rat Cerebellar Cortex

The cytoarchitecture of the rat cerebellar cortex was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after exposure of cell surfaces by NaOH maceration and subsequent mild mechanical dissection. SEM observation clearly differentiated the three layers of the cerebellar cortex: the molecular layer, which consisted of a dense accumulation of thin nerve fibers; the Purkinje cell layer, in which large flask-shaped somata of neurons were arranged in a single row; and the granular layer, which contained small round neurons and nerve fibers of varying thickness. The present method provided an en face view of synaptic boutons of axons resting on the Purkinje cell soma, with glial septa separating each bouton. The boutons were small, round, or elliptical in shape and disposed at large intervals.