Primary cortical areas receive a defmed input which makes them especially appropria te for investigating cortical functions. The striate area is the only isocortical field which can be delineated unequivocally in the human brain. Nevertheless, there have been only a few morphological studies of this particular area (cytoarchitectonic studies: Bailey and Von Bonin 1951, Beck 1934, Von Economo and Koskinas 1925, Filimo noff 1932; myeloarchitectonic studies: Sanides and Vitzthum 1965, Vogt and Vogt 1919; pigmentoarchitectonic studies: Braak H 1976, 1977). For Golgi impregnations, Ramon y Cajal (1900, 1909-1911), Conel (1939-1967), and Shkol'nik-Yarros (1971) preferred the incompletely myelinated material taken from brains of young childre- a fact that somewhat restricts their descriptions of the human striate area. Pigment preparations (Braak H 1978) provide a detailed view of the lamination of cortical areas. Furthermore, many types of cortical nerve cells reveal a typicallipofus cin-pigment pattern (Braak H 1974a). Thus, a correlation can be drawn between the type of neuron as classified in Golgi preparations and the characteristic number and distribution of lipofuscin granules found in the cell body. Neurolipofuscin granules can therefore be considered the internal markers. In this study several cell types of the striate area have been identified under light and electron microscopes by means of their characteristic pigmentation.

1 Introduction

2 Material and Methods
3 Lamination Pattern
4 Neurons and Neuropil of Layer I
4.1 Nissl-Stained and Methylene Blue-Azure II-Stained Sections
4.2 Golgi Preparations
4.3 Electron Microscopy
5 General Remarks Concerning Pyramidal and Nonpyramidal or Stellate Cells
5.1 Nissl Preparations
5.2 Golgi Preparations
5.3 Electron Microscopy
6 Pyramidal Cells and Neuropil of Layer II
6.1 Nissl Preparations
6.2 Golgi Preparations
6.3 Electron Microscopy
7 Pyramidal Cells and Neuropil of Layer IIIab
7.1 Nissl Preparations
7.2 Golgi Preparations
7.3 Electron Microscopy
8 Pyramidal and Polygonal Neurons and Neuropil of Layers IIIc/IVa, IVb, IVc?, and IVc?
8.1 General Remarks
8.2 Nissl Preparations
8.3 Golgi Preparations
8.4 Electron Microscopy
8.5 Are the Polygonal Neurons Modified Pyramidal Neurons?
9 Pyramidal and Polygonal Neurons and Neuropil of Layers IVd/Va and Vb
9.1 Nissl-Stained and Methylene Blue-Azure II-Stained Sections
9.2 Golgi Preparations
9.3 Electron Microscopy
10 Pyramidal Cells and Multiformed Neurons of Layers VIa and VIb
10.1 Nissl Preparations
10.2 Golgi Preparations
10.3 Electron Microscopy
11 Nonpyramidal Cells of Layers II to VI
11.1 Golgi Preparations
11.2 Nissl Preparations
11.3 Electron Microscopy
12 Glial Cells of Layers I to VI
12.1 Astrocytes
12.2 Oligodendrocytes
12.3 Microglial Cells
13 Summary
Acknowledgments
References.