Figure 5.

Visualization of astrocytes by GFAP-IR in cerebral cortex of IIH patients. (A) GFAP-IR is demonstrable forming an elaborated meshwork of processes and membranes. Note the swelling of the perivascular astrocytic end-feet along small blood vessels (red-blue arrow). Nerve cell marked by red arrow and astrocytes marked by yellow arrow. (B) Enlarged astrocyte end-feet, filled up by GFAP-IR material, were demonstrable along small blood vessel. The function, effects and importance of such enlarged GFAP-IR end-feet accumulations require further investigation. (C) The large nerve cell in the center (yellow arrow) is delimited by astrocyte membranes along its cell body. This is characteristic for synaptic stripping where the GFAP IR membrane continuously encloses half of the perikaryal circumference of the nerve cell body. Note that GFAP-IR profiles are demonstrable in only parts of the cortex specimen. Enlarged GFAP-IR end-feet marked by red-blue arrows. (D) Examples of close approximation between the astrocyte processes and the nerve cells. Further, the intensely stained GFAP-IR processes radiate from the astrocyte cell body, divide, and additionally entered neighbor cell domains. Red arrow toward nerve cell and yellow arrows toward astrocytes.