Ornithine carbamoyltransferase deficiency, an X-linked trait, leads to toxic hyperammonemia in sparse fur (spf/Y) mice. Quantitative analysis of the basilar dendritic tree of layer V pyramidal cells in frontoparietal cortex stained by the Golgi Kopsch method revealed a significant decrease in both the complexity of the dendritic arbor and in dendritic terminal spine density (60%) in spf/Y mice compared with controls. Such reductions may contribute to behavioral dysfunction observed in spf/Y mice.
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