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Forebrain white matter in spontaneously hypertensive rats: a quantitative image analysis study.
M Sabbatini1, E Baldoni, A Cadoni
1Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Camerino, Italy.
Neuroscience Letters
|May 18, 1999
Summary
Spontaneously hypertensive rats show reduced forebrain white matter volume and increased astrocyte numbers, indicating white matter changes without myelin fiber alterations. Gliosis development was observed, seemingly unrelated to volume changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
- Hypertension Research
Background:
- Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) are a model for human hypertension.
- Hypertension is associated with neurological complications, including white matter changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate white matter volume, morphology, and astrocyte changes in SHR compared to normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats.
- To determine if observed changes are related to myelination or gliosis.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of brain white matter volume and astrocyte counts (GFAP-immunoreactive) in 6-month-old SHR and WKY rats.
- Assessment of myelin sheath morphology using staining techniques.
Main Results:
- SHR exhibited decreased volumes in the frontal cortex, occipital cortex, hippocampus, internal capsule, and striosomes compared to WKY rats.
- Astrocytosis was observed in specific hippocampal subfields and cortical areas of SHR, but not in the corpus callosum or grey matter.
- No alterations in the morphology of single myelinated fiber sheaths were detected in SHR.
Conclusions:
- SHR display significant reductions in forebrain white matter volume without qualitative changes in myelinated fibers.
- The study identified gliosis in SHR, which appears independent of white matter volume reduction.