Structure and Orientation of Cells and Fibres in the Nervous System of Vertebrates

Abstract

ORIENTATION of cells and fibres in the cerebral cortex is a well-known phenomenon. It is not generally appreciated, however, that a similar organization is present throughout the nervous system of vertebrates. The difficulty of recognizing this state of affairs is very probably due to the usual method of investigation, which includes the preparation of thin sections cut in one plane. The plane of orientation, especially in sub-cortical structures, is a curved plane. Orientation is visible only in sections cut in a plane tangential to the curved plane of orientation. Reconstruction of the spatial organization is possible only by cutting one and the same structure in more than one brain under a variety of angles and combining the results thus obtained.