[Structural organization of superficial glial limiting membrane and layer I astrocytes in rat brain cortex]

A study of structural and functional organization of the boundaries separating CNS compartments is a fundamental task of neurobiology. Taking into account the contradictory data on the structure of superficial layers of mammalian neocortex, it is pertinent to study structural and cytochemical organization of astrocytes--the main components of the brain barrier system in animals that are often used for experimental modeling of brain diseases and injuries. The aim of the present work was to study the structural organization of layer I astrocytes of rat neocortex. Astrocytes were demonstrated immunocytochemically using anti-GFAP, anti-vimentin and anti-nestin antibodies using light and confocal laser microscopy. The results of the study demonstrated that the superficial glial limiting membrane had significant structural differences in different cortical regions. Astrocytes in layer I of rat neocortex were different from typical protoplasmic astrocytes, common to gray matter The regional peculiar features of superficial glial limiting membrane organization that were found in this study, are probably determined by the differences in functional characteristics of CSF-encephalic barrier in the specific regions of the brain.