Astroglial reaction following Wallerian degeneration in the rat visual cortex: proliferation or hypertrophy?

Following chemical lesioning of the rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus the visual cortical astrocytes were investigated with light and electron microscopy. A quantitative evaluation of astrocyte distribution within the cortex was also carried out. Findings suggest that while the number of cortical astrocytes remains fairly constant, they become hypertrophic and shifted towards the upper layers of the visual cortex. It is concluded that the degeneration of synaptic input to the visual cortex triggers the translocation and hypertrophy rather than proliferation of astrocytes.