[Ultrastructural restructurings in the rat cerebral cortex after ascorbic acid administration into the ventricular...

A short increase of the ascorbic acid concentration in the rat cerebral cortex after intraventricular bilateral injection of 20 mcl of 0.1% or 1% solution of ascorbic acid, as well as intracisternal injection of 20 mcl of 0.5% solution results in a prolonged (no less than 21 days) ultrastructural reorganization in the nucleus and cytoplasm of the cortical neurons: amount of lysosomes, polysomes, vesicles of the Golgi complex, subsurface cisterns increases; this demonstrates an increasing RNA and protein synthesis, catabolic processes and neuronal-glial interaction. Changes of ultrastructure of the synaptic terminals--decaying mitochondria in them, formation of myelin-like bodies and after interstitial injection, in addition, protrusions into the adjusting dendrite--demonstrate that synapses are also one of the points, where excess of ascorbic acid affects the CNS. In a long time 3 and 6 months after injection, the changes mentioned are not observed, but in the glial processes there are vacuoles, containing degenerating elements.