Fine structural relationships between astrocytes and the node of Ranvier in the amphibian and reptilian spinal cord

Abstract

Associations between the axolemma of nodes of Ranvier and perinodal astrocytes in the amphibian and reptilian spinal cord were examined by electron microscopy. Our present results demonstrate the astrocytic processes at the nodes of Ranvier in the central nervous system of lower vertebrates. Such a presence in lower vertebrates is discussed in the framework of current views on neuron-glial interactions and their possible phylogenetic implications.