Cerebellar Neuroglia: Morphological and Histochemical Aspects

Abstract

This chapter discusses the morphological and histochemical aspects of cerebellar neuroglia. Nevertheless, from time to time, hypotheses have been advanced to give an explanation of the glial function. The first of these hypotheses—the principal one during the 19th century—considered the glial cells to be tissues of support in the nerve centers. Even today, this hypothesis has some adherents. But soon some opposing concepts began to appear. During the past few years, the idea of a trophic role of glial cells has become the most widely-accepted hypothesis of the functional significance of neuroglia. The cerebellar neuroglia of rat and rabbits is studied with conventional metallic impregnations and enzyme-histochemical methods. The presence has been proved of some oligodendrocytes of type I scattered all along the thickness of the molecular layer. The metabolism of glycogen, its storage and its degradation by phosphorylase, was chiefly dependent on astroglia cells. In a general way, the oligodendrocytes were the most active glial cells for the oxidative enzymes.