title: Regional density of glial cells in the rat corpus callosum.
abstract: Axons and glial cells are the main components of white matter. The corpus callosum (CC) is the largest white matter tract in mammals; in rodents, 99% of the cells correspond to glia after postnatal day 5 (P5). The area of the CC varies through life and regional differences related to the number of axons have been previously described. Whether glial cell density varies accordingly is unknown; thus the aim of this study was to estimate glial cell density for the genu, body and splenium -the three main regions of CC-, of P6 and P30 rats. Here we report that the density of CC glial cells reduced by ~10% from P6 to P30. Even so, the density of astrocytes showed a slight increase (+6%), probably due to differentiation of glioblasts. Interestingly, glial cell density decreased for the genu (-21%) and the body (-13%), while for the splenium a minor increase (+5%) was observed. The astrocyte/glia ratio increased (from P6 to P30) for the genu (+27%), body (+17%) and splenium (+4%). Together, our results showed regional differences in glial cell density of the CC. Whether this pattern is modified in some neuropathologies remains to be explored.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurobiología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Boulevard Juriquilla 3001 Juriquilla, Querétaro CP 76230, México. dharo@unam.mx
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reyes-Haro
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mora-Loyola
authors.forename: Berenice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Soria-Ortiz
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Colunga
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000502:physiology*; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein