[Astrocytes of the subventricular zone of the telencephalon]

Subventricular proliferative zone is the brain area most intriguing and least understood in terms of cellular and spatial organization. The objective of this study was to focus on the structural and cytochemical organization of astrocytes of the subventricular zone of the rat brain. Astrocytes were detected immunocytochemically. The preparations were analyzed using conventional light microscopy and confocal laser microscopy. The study performed showed that the major cellular population of the subventricular zone was represented by a special kind of atypical fibrous astrocytes with the intermediate filaments containing only glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The processes of these cells formed a complex double-layer network beneath the ependyma. The described structural pattern of the glial skeleton of the subventricular zone seems to be determined by specific functions of the area and its location in the zone of CSF-brain barrier.