GLIAL OR NEURONAL ORIGIN OF MICROCYSTS IN THE GERBIL PVCN

This study used immunocytochemical markers for various classes of glial cells to investigate the relationship between glial elements and microcysts in the gerbil auditory system at the light and electron microscopic level. Monoclonal antibodies S-100, GFAP and Rip were used on tissue from 3- and 12-month old animals and acutely deafened 12 month old animals to localize astrocytes and oligodendrocytes and their processes around microcysts. No differences in the number and distribution of astrocytes were found in the PVCN as a result of aging or deafening. S-100 and GFAP labeling showed a high correlation between astrocytic processes and microcysts. The results indicate that up to 80% of microcysts are either contacted by astrocytic profiles over much of their perimeter or are labeled internally by the astrocytic markers S-100 or GFAP. Some microcysts appear to originate in neuronal dendrites or in axons.