Two Dimensional Grayscale Images of the Aspiny Neurons from the Human Neostriatum: Monofractal and Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix Analysis

Abstract

The striatum (neostriatum) is one of the principal constituents of the basal nuclei. It is a complex structure which consists of a dorsal and the ventral components. According to the spine distribution and their density, neurons of the human striatum can be classified into two main types: spiny and aspiny cells. Further classification recognizes two groups of spiny, and three groups of aspiny neurons. The goal of this study was to analyze different morphometric properties of the digital images of the group IV and group V aspiny neurons, from the dorsal striatum of both cerebral hemispheres. In this study, a total of 175 two-dimensional images of aspiny neurons were analyzed. Image reconstruction and measurement was performed with the specialized, public software Image J. Four parameters of standard fractal analysis were quantified from these binary images. In addition, five textural parameters were obtained by analyzing grayscale images of the entire neuron. Results of both analyses show that six of nine parameters differed between the group IV and group V aspiny neurons. Moreover, in both groups of neurons, one parameter of the fractal and three of the texture analyses differed between the putamen and the caudate nucleus neurons. Thus, this study corroborates previous classification of aspiny neurons. Although they belong to the same aspiny group, different type of cells can qualify nerve signals in their own way. Therefore, this study supports the hypothesis that neuronal morphology differences can reflect their functional diversity and their role in communication.