Morphology and physiology of capillary systems in subregions of the subfornical organ and area postrema

Abstract

From recent morphological and physiological studies of capillaries, I shall review four new or revised concepts about blood-tissue communication in the subfornical organ (SFO) and area postrema (AP). First, the capillary systems of SFO and AP exhibit subregional differentiation correlated topographically with cytoarchitecture, densities of immunoreactivity for several peptides and amines, cellular sensitivity to neuroactive substances, afferent neural terminations, and tissue metabolic activity. Thus, contrary to frequent citations, the angioarchitecture and microcirculatory physiology of these small sensory nuclei are not homogeneous. Second, electron microscopic, morphometric, and topographical studies reveal that SFO contains three different types of capillary and AP has two. The differentiated capillary morphology appears to be well organized for specialized functions particularly in SFO subregions. No other body organ or small tissue region is known to have such capillary diversity, further highlighting the complex functions served by SFO. Third, pools of interstitial fluid (Virchow-Robin spaces) surrounding type I and III capillaries in SFO and AP may participate in the receptive properties of these organs as low-resistance pathways for rapid dispersion of blood-borne hormones inside their organ boundaries. The parenchymal walls of Virchow-Robin spaces appear to harbour metabolic mechanisms for hormones such as angiotensin II, and thus could vastly extend the effective blood-brain surface area of permeable capillaries in SFO and AP. Fourth, SFO and AP bear similar physiological characteristics of high blood volume, yet relatively low rates of blood flow. Accordingly, intracapillary blood velocity must be quite slow in these organs, and the duration of transit by blood and circulating messengers rather protracted. This feature of slow blood transit time likely compounds the sensory capability of SFO and AP, rendering increased contact time for blood-borne hormones to penetrate the permeable capillaries of these structures and interact with their known dense populations of receptors for several homeostatic substances involved in regulation of blood pressure and body fluids.