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Data
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Neocortex L5/6 pyramidal GLU cell
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Cajal, S. Ramon y (1911). Reprinted and translated by Swanson and Swanson, Oxford University Press, 1995.
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The cell bodies (somas) of these projection neurons are found in the (deeper) layers 5/6 of cortex, and have a pyramid shape. These cells release glutamate, the most common excitatory neurotransmitter. These are corticothalamic (project to the thalamus), pyramidal tract (project to the brain stem and spinal cord), and intratelencephalic (project to the cortex, possibly the other hemisphere, or the basal ganglia). Where the axon goes determines these additional classes. The apical tuft is thicker for the subtypes of these cells primarily in layer 5b (deeper layer 5) that project to subcortical regions and thinner for those in layer 5a (superficial layer 5) that project through the corpus callosum to the other hemisphere.
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