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Histomorphology of angiogenesis in human perinatal orbitofrontal cortex: a Golgi and electron microscopic study of anastomosis formation

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Abstract

We demonstrate here for the first time the formation of vascular anastomoses in the human neocortex. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of the perinatal human brain is structurally immature, so that the maturation of neurons, neuroglia and intracortical capillaries can be conveniently studied by comparison with these elements in motor and striatal cortex of the same brain. In OFC of the perinatal human brain, indication of prominent anastomosis formation in the upper layers (lamina II and III) is observed. Golgi silver impregnation and electron microscopic techniques were employed to demonstrate individual stages of vascular anastomosis development. Along with capillary angiogenesis, vascular anastomosis formation is of major importance for the ontogenesis of neuronal and glial elements of the CNS, particularly with respect to optimal metabolic support of structural elements of the mature brain. In the neocortex of the adult human brain, a characteristic three-dimensional capillary angioarchitecture is observed, contrasting with the two-dimensional arrangement in the immature perinatal cortex. Abnormal OFC angioarchitecture was also found in 14% of histomorphologically investigated brains from persons with endogenous psychoses. For the pathogenesis of functional disorders of the human brain, including endogenous psychoses, knowledge about the processes of structural maturation of neurons and neuroglia, but also of capillary architecture, is essential.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Alfred Golombek Foundation. We express our gratitude to Marion Winnig for her excellent technical assistance. Dr. Werner Ruhmann from "IMATEC Bildanalysesysteme", who installed and maintained the image analysis system; we want to thank him for his constant availability when questions concerning the system arose. Special thanks also to Renate Huttner and Dr. Paul Foley for their careful proof-reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Füchsleinstrasse 15, 97080 , Würzburg, Germany

    Dieter Senitz

  2. Institute for Stem Cell Research, HSR, DIBIT 2A3, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy

    Jens Benninghoff

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  1. Dieter Senitz
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  2. Jens Benninghoff
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Correspondence to Dieter Senitz.

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Senitz, D., Benninghoff, J. Histomorphology of angiogenesis in human perinatal orbitofrontal cortex: a Golgi and electron microscopic study of anastomosis formation. Anat Embryol 206, 479–485 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-003-0319-4

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