[STRUCTURAL AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF MICROGLIA IN THE MOLECULAR LAYER OF RABBIT CEREBELLAR CORTEX].

Using the methods of immunocytochemistry and confocal laser microscopy, structural organization and spatial distribution of microgliocytes in the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex were studied in 5 adult male rabbits. Reaction to microglial cell marker Iba-1 was highly specific, while until recently their selective detection was impossible in rabbits. In the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex, two patterns of microgliocyte organization were observed. Most common were the cells with tortuous intricately ramified processes, the main branches of which often had radial direction. Perivascular sparsely-branched spindleshaped microgliocytes were also found. The peculiarities of the structural organization of these cells are related to the protective functions they perform at the level of the blood-brain barrier.