Dorsal-ventral differences in the glia limitans of the spinal cord: an ultrastructural study in developing normal and irradiated rats.

The dorsal and ventral surfaces of the lumbosacral spinal cord were examined in normal and irradiated postnatal rats. In normal rats between three and 13 days postnatal (DP), the glia limitans (GL) of the ventral surface was a more complex structure than the dorsal GL. This greater degree of complexity was manifested in a greater number of subpial astrocytes, a greater number of radial glial processes and a more advanced state in differentiation of its constituents. In rats irradiated at three DP and examined at 13 DP, the ventral GL remained intact and relatively unaffected by the radiation. In contrast, the dorsal GL was disrupted, and Schwann cells were seen within the dorsal funiculus. The ventral GL of the rat lumbosacral spinal cord is a more substantial structure than the dorsal GL during normal development. This factor alone may account for the integrity of the barrier properties of the ventral GL following radiation. However, our observations suggest that subpial astrocytes of the dorsal GL are more susceptible to radiation damage at three DP than the subpial astrocytes and radial glia of the ventral GL.