A quantitative dendritic analysis of Wernicke's area in humans. II. Gender, hemispheric, and environmental factors

Abstract

This quantitative Golgi study extends our investigation of relationships between cortical dendrite systems in humans and higher cognitive functions. Here we examine the relationship between the basilar dendrites of supragranular pyramidal cells in Wernicke's area and selected intrinsic (i.e., gender and hemisphere) and extrinsic (i.e., education and personal history) variables. Tissue was obtained from 20 neurologically normal right-handers: 10 males (Mage = 52.2) and 10 females (Mage = 47.8). Several independent variables were investigated: GENDER (male, female), HEMISPHERE (left, right), and EDUCATION (less than high school, high school, and university). These were evaluated according to Total Dendritic Length, Mean Dendritic Length, and Dendritic Segment Count. A distinction was made between proximal (1st, 2nd, and 3rd order) and ontogenetically later developing distal (4th order and above) branches. There was significant interindividual variation in dendritic measurements, which roughly reflected individuals' personal backgrounds. Females exhibited slightly greater dendritic values and variability than males across the age range examined. On the whole, the left hemisphere maintained a slight advantage over the right hemisphere for all dendritic measures when all subjects were pooled, but these differences were not in a consistent direction across individuals. Education had a consistent and substantial effect such that dendritic measures increased as educational levels increased. Dendritic differences between independent variable levels were most clearly illustrated in the total dendritic length of 3rd and 4th order branches. Distal dendritic branches appeared to exhibit greater epigenetic flexibility than proximal dendrites. The present findings concur with environmental enrichment research results in animals and suggest that dendritic systems in humans function as a sensitive indicator of an individual's (a)vocational activities.