The meningeal compartments of the median eminence and the cortex. A comparative analysis in the rat.

The intervascular segments of the leptomeninges of the rat were studied by the use of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in short-term experiments. HRP was injected (i) intravenously, (ii) into the lateral ventricle, (iii) into the cortex, and (iv) into the meninges. The composition of the meninges covering the median eminence (ME) was analyzed in comparison to the results obtained with the parietal cortex. The meninges covering the cortex show the following pattern of layers and compartments: The intercellular compartment comprises the intercellular clefts of the neuropil, the subpial space, and the intercellular clefts of the leptomeninges. The pial space establishes a second compartment. The third compartment is the arachnoid space. The intercellular clefts of the dura form the fourth compartment. At the border of the ME, the neurothelium and the outer arachnoid layer are rolled up to form a tissue frame around a hollow pit that is covered by a diaphragm consisting of meningeal cells; the latter separate the hemal milieu of the ME from that of the dura. The hemal and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) milieus may communicate to a limited extent only within the subpial space adjacent to the ME. The CSF-containing compartments of the pial and arachnoid spaces terminate at the brain-facing insertion of the tissue frame. According to the present results, an anatomical basis for a short-loop feedback from and to the neurohemal region of the ME via the CSF does not exist.