Transgenic Rat Model of Huntington’s Disease: A Histopathological Study and Correlations with Neurodegenerative Process in the Brain of HD Patients

Figure 9

(a) In young (2-month-old) wt rats S100β ⁺ astrocytes are predominantly GFAP-negative; with the progression of NDP in (b) 18-month-old tgHD rats and (c) 24-month-old tgHD rats the main GFAP⁺ processes become coarser, albeit less branched, and the most distinct are their vascular end-feet (thickening of the perivascular membrane in form of “rings”); the number of not only S100β ⁺/GFAP^- but also S100β ⁺/GFAP⁺ astrocytes increases primarily around the vessels; the coexpression is seen mainly within the thick astrocytic processes terminating by the end-feet on the vessel wall. Anti-GFAP (red) + anti-S100β (green) + DAPI (blue). Bar 20 μm.

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(b)

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