Ependyma of the goat. I. The third cerebral ventricle: scanning electron microscopy study

Ependymal surface of the III-rd cerebral ventricle of 13 goat-males and females and in the testicular hermaphrodite was studied by means of scanning electron microscope. The ependymal surface structure of infundibular recess is in relation to the sex, in case of females to the ovarian cycle phase and in males to the season. The supraependymal cells were always present with the exception of the "rest" period of males. The smallest number of the SEC was found in females during anestrus period, the highest one during proestrus and in the hermaphrodite. The supraependymal cells of goats resemble mostly the macrophages, the supraependymal neuron-like cells were present on median eminence of all animals and on rostral part of infundibulum of the hermaphrodite. The finding on the hermaphrodite's genital organs resembled the incomplete developed male without the female genital organ traces. The number, topography and external morphology of the SEC, however, were in agreement with the data of goat-females during proestrus. The results of the III-rd cerebral ventricle demonstrate the ependymal tanycytes participation in all processes occurring during the reproduction cycle of goats.