Abstract
THE comments by Comfort on Dawkins's1 memory theory struck a sympathetic chord, late though they were received here. We failed to detect any of the changes claimed2 for the nucleus dentatus and found but a fraction3 of the neurones estimated. Counts covering newborn to presenescent age produced no age correlation in the human olivary nucleus4. The need for the provision of more cell counts stressed by Comfort was emphasized too by Blinkow5 at a recent meeting here. Neuronal population studies done by count are certainly more tedious than those based on general estimates. They render figures more like those of bankers than of economists. Delorenzo6 found no evidence for the loss of Purkinje cells in man reported by Ellis7. Thus not only for rodents, but in man too, the more recent studies based on larger material, fail to demonstrate loss of neurones with advancing age. Available information about the regular Purkinje cell layer is so contradictory, the multilayered cerebral cortex with cell number estimates ranging8,9 from 2.6 × 109 to 16.5 × 109, that it is even less likely to provide unequivocal data easily. The billion range is not of variability but one of uncertainty. Side by side illustrations demonstrating age changes suffer from what may be called the Kara Mustapha fallacy*. Recent work by Dayan10 raises doubts about some more tenets of the neuropathology of ageing. Dawkins's model of memory helps to bring to light the narrow base supporting neurone loss as an uncontestable axiom.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Dawkins, R., Nature, 229, 118 (1971).
Hoepker, W., Z. Alternsforsch., 5, 256 (1951).
Heidary, H., and Tomasch, J., Acta. Anat., 74, 290 (1969).
Moatamed, F., J. Comp. Neurol., 128, 109 (1966).
Blinkow, S. M., Proc. Pahlavi Med. Congr., 2, 181 (1971).
Delorenzo, E., Z. Zellforsch. Mikr. Anat., 14, 310 (1932).
Ellis, R. S., J. Comp. Neurol., 32, 1 (1920).
Pakkenberg, H., J. Comp. Neurol., 128, 17 (1966).
Haug, H., and Rebhahn, I., Acta. Anat., 28, 551 (1956).
Dayan, A. D., Acta Neuropathol., 16, 85 (1970).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
TOMASCH, J. Comments on “Neuromythology”. Nature 233, 60 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/233060a0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/233060a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.