Histochemical study of the differentiation of microglial cells in the developing human cerebral hemispheres.

Abstract Applying nucleoside diphosphatase (NDPase) histochemistry, the appearance and differentiation of microglial cells in the developing human cerebral hemispheres were investigated by light and electron microscopy. In the pallium of the 38 days old human embryo, a few round NDPase-positive cells (round cells) were observed in the expanding zone. Although distinct blood vessels had not yet formed within the wall of the pallium, some cellular elements resembling haemopoietic cells were noticed in the expanding zone. In the 51 days old fetus, blood vessels displaying NDPase activity were seen in the mantle and marginal layers, and some invaded the matrix. Several round NDPase-positive cells were distributed, mainly around the vascular sprouts (primitive blood vessels) in the matrix. In the marginal layer, NDPase-positive cells exhibiting short cytoplasmic processes were encountered (poorly ramifying cells). In the 58, 66 and 82 days old fetuses, the round NDPase-positive cells were seen mainly in the matrix or subcortical layer where vascular sprouts were conspicuous and the poorly ramifying cells were in the subcortical and marginal layers. In the two latter fetuses, NDPase-positive cells showing long highly ramifying cytoplasmic processes (highly ramifying cells) were noted mainly in the marginal layer and sometimes in the subcortical layer. In the 5 months old fetuses, numerous NDPase-positive cells were distributed in the mantle, subcortical and marginal layers, and most of them appeared to belong to the populations of the poorly or highly ramifying cells. On the basis of the ultrastructural features, the round cells and highly ramifying cells were regarded as amoeboid cells and microglial cells, respectively. These findings suggest that at least some amoeboid cells are transformed into microglial cells via the stages of poorly ramifying microglial cells, and also that, in the human cerebral hemispheres, appearance of the microglial elements is closely related with vascularisation, especially in the early developmental stages.