title: Evaluation of microvasculature at the auditory midbrain--the benefits of sectioning at a tangential angle.
abstract: Vascular remodeling in the brain occurs as a plastic change following neural over-activity. The auditory midbrain (or inferior colliculus, IC) is an ideal place to study sound-induced vascular changes because it is the brain's most vascularized structure and it is tonotopically organized. However, its micro-vascular pattern remains poorly understood. Since the IC is a sphere-like structure, the histological assessment of vasculature could depend on the angle of sectioning. Here, we studied the effects of cutting the IC at different angles on microvascular assessment, specifically: micro-vascular density and the shape of microvascular lumen. Photomicrographs were taken from 5 µm toluidine blue-stained histological sections obtained at two angles of sectioning: (a) the conventional coronal sectioning, and (b) a novel "tangential" sectioning (tangential to the dorso-medial surface of the IC). Results showed that the tangential sections, in comparison with the coronal sections, yielded (a) a higher count of micro-vascular density and (b) a higher proportion of round-shaped micro-vascular lumens. This discrepancy in results between two cut angles is likely related to the spatial pattern of blood vessels supplying the IC. We propose that the tangential sectioning should be adopted as standard for the accurate study of microvasculature in the IC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, China Medical University- An Nan Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan; Department of Anesthesia, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Anesthesia, Taishan Medical University, Taian, Shangdong, People's Republic of China; Department of Anesthesia, Nanshan branch of Qilu Hospital, Shangdong University, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Edmund Cheung
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: So
authors.forename: Hui-Pin
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Chung Hsi
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hsing
authors.forename: Sheng Nan
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yu-Kai
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Paul W F
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Poon
mesh_terms: D002196:Capillaries / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007245:Inferior Colliculi / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D055806:Microvessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
keywords: functional capillaries; histology sectioning; inferior colliculus