Eaxamination of microglial morphology in normal brains and anoxic encephalopathy *
We examined microglias in 20 autopsy brains of patients with anoxic encephalopathy and 5 autopsy brains of neurologically normal patients immunohislochemically using RCA-1 lectin, LN-1, LN-3, CD68 KP-1, HAM56, CD45RA LCA, CD45RO UCHL-1. Microglias were classified into four types based on their form, and were counted from the fourth layer to the sixth layer of the occipital cortex facing the calcarine sulcus. Counting was done five times by light microscopy at 40 x 10 magnification. In the neurologic ally normal brains, the "moderate group" and "severe group" showed more microglias than the other groups, followed by the "mild group" and "no change group". RCA-1 lectin and LN-1-stained microglias showed few changes in form, but CD68 KP-1 and HAM56 stained microglias showed strong changes. No CD45RA LCA and CD45RO UCHL-1 -stained microglias were detected. The correlation of the number of microglias and the survival time were examind in each group with anoxic encephalopathy. The "mild group" and "no change group" showed no increase in the number of microglias. The "moderate group" and "severe group" showed an increase one week after onset. It was found that microglias of each group could be evaluated by combining the results from more than one antibody from the normal brain. In addition, it was found that not all of the microglias in the normal brain belonged to the "no change group". These findings raise the possibility that the increase in microglias in each group with anoxic encephalopathy may have originated from more than one population. (Acceped on October 5, 1999) Kawasaki Igakkaishi 25( 4 ) : 279 -288, 1999
