European Journal of Anatomy

Official Journal of The Spanish Society of Anatomy
Cover Volume 15 - Number 2
Eur J Anat, 15 (2): 85-97 (2011)

Immunohistochemical study of the astrocytes of the adult rat cochlear nuclei

Francisco J. Valderrama-Canales1, Pablo Gil-Loyzaga2, Arán Pascual-Font1

1Departamento de Anatomía y Embriología Humanas I, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain and 2Departamento de Cirugía II, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain

ABSTRACT Astrocytes play crucial roles in the organization, function and maintenance of neurons and neuronal circuits. Apart from reports on reactive gliosis after auditory/vestibular injuries, few authors have focused their attention on the astroglial cytoarchytecture of the cochlear nuclei (CN). In this qualitative immunohistochemical study, we analyse the distribution of the astrocytic markers glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), glutamine synthetase (GS), and S-100 protein (S-100) in the adult CN of twelve young adult male rats.

Keywords: Dorsal cochlear nucleus, Ventral cochlear nucleus, Granule cell domain, Glial fibrillary acidic protein, Glutamine synthetase, S-100 protein, Glutamate, GABA

European Journal of anatomy
ISSN 2340-311X (Online)