title: Site- and stage-dependent differences in vascular density of the human fetal brain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Less information is available about site-dependent differences in fetal intrabrain angiogenesis. Quantitative evaluation is especially limited, with the measured area limited to the cerebral gray and white matters and the periventricular germinal matrix.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured vascular density (number of vessels per square millimeter) and percent vascular area (percentage of areas occupied by vessels) of CD34-positive microvessels in 14 human fetal brains, including 4 fetuses at 14-16 weeks of gestation, 5 at 25-28 weeks, and 5 at 35-37 weeks. Site-dependent differences were examined among the cerebral cortex, thalamus, internal capsule, corpus callosum, ganglionic eminence, midbrain, and cerebellar cortex and nuclei.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The parameters examined tended to be high in the cerebral germinal matrix, thalamus, midbrain, and cerebellum. Significant site-dependent differences were observed: lower vascular densities were observed in the internal capsule and corpus callosum than in other parts of the brain (p < 0.05) and a larger percent area was observed in the cerebellar nuclei than in other areas. Vascular density was higher during the early than late stage because of the larger numbers of CD34-positive islands of cells in the early stage, although there were several exceptions. Percent area was not stage dependent but was almost constant at many sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consequently, except for developing nuclei, the prenatal development of intrabrain vessels after 15 weeks may proceed without any significant changes in density.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Republic of Korea, hammer96@naver.com.
authors.forename: Hyuk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kwang Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Ji Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Jose Francisco
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Vazquez
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murakami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000196:embryology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011247:Pregnancy; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D014841:von Willebrand Factor