RESUMEN
The microangioarchitecture of hippocampus was studied with the replica scanning electron microscope in rats and infants. Typical arteries and their branches were observed in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus of infants. Interarterial, intervenous and arteriovenous anastomoses were seen. Veins and their branches, capillary network and its anastomoses were also observed. A capillary divided into two branches and then they were together with each other like a fried dough twist shape. A vascular unit was observed which consisted of one vein situated centrally and three to four arterioles peripherally. Imprints of precapillary sphincters and postcapillary sphincters wene seen in human hippocampus. Morphology of the hippocampus vessels in rats was not completely similar to men. The diameter of branches which originated from arterioles suddenly changed from the larger to the smaller. There were a lot of impressions of smooth muscles in larger arterioles and their furcations.
RESUMEN
Ganglionic and cortical arteries and arterioles in 15 aging Sprague-Dowley rats were histochemically examined to evaluate their metabolic profiles using bright-field microscopy semiquantitatively. Lactate dehydrogenase showed significant reactivity which increased with vessel diameter in cortical and ganglionic vessels in all groups examined. Suceinate dehydrogenase showed trace to moderate reactivity in both cortical and ganglionic vessels. Glucose-6-phosphate dchydrogenase showed zero to trace reactivity in cortical and ganglionic vessels, suggesting less synthetic capacity of nuclear acids and proteins. Myosin ATPase showed strong to very strong reactivity which decreased slightly with vessel diameter in all groups tested, indicating high rate of utilizing ATP in smooth muscle. Little difference of enzyme reactivity was found among cortical and ganglionic vessels and vessels from different parts of caudatoputamcn. In conclusion, both cortical and ganglionic vessels are metabolically active, with significant anaerobic glycolysis, but with decrease in capacity observable for aerobic metabolism.