NEURONAL AND GLIAL ANTIGEN DISTRIBUTION IN THE COLUMNS OF SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX OF RAT BRAIN (AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY)

The aim of the study was to detect the neocortical columns in the S1 field on frontal sections of brain of albino rats using the method of immunohistochemistry and the antibodies against neuronal (synaptophysin, neurofilament) and gliocyte (glial fibrillary acidic protein - GFAP, myelin basic protein) proteins. The examination of the expression of the major neurospecific antigens revealed that on thin sections (4 μm) a column could be identified due to accumulations of the astrocytes and neuronal processes - axons and dendrites. GFAP expression study also showed that cortical layer I usually contained multiple large astrocytes with branching processes, as well as numerous smaller processes with high intensity of expression. Synaptophysin content was high in all the layers of the cortex, but the most intense reaction was detected in the molecular layer, similarly with the intensity of GFAP reaction. The expression of myelin basic protein was detected in accordance with the radially extending myelinated processes of the neurons in the cortex.

somatosensory cortex, columns, neuronal and glial proteins, immunohistochemistry