Identification of presumptive long axon neurons in the substantia gelatinosa of the rat lumbosacral spinal cord: a Golgi study.

The present Golgi study identifies and describes 3 types of presumptive long axon neurons in the substantia gelatinosa of the rat lumbosacral spinal cord. These neurons were traced from prenatal stages to adulthood and were found to correspond to the 'limitrophe' and two variations of the 'centrale' cell originally described by Ramón y Cajal in fetal and newborn animals. These neurons can be distinguished from intrinsic, non-projection neurons of the substantia gelatinosa.