Phases of intermediate filament composition in Bergmann glia following cerebellar injury in adult rat

In contrast to other astroglial populations, Bergmann glia (BG) form a strictly arranged system where each cell contacts the pia, with an architecture and function resembling that of immature radial glia. As a consequence, a post-lesion glial reaction is expected to differ from that observed in other parts of the brain. The present study describes the characteristic phases of intermediate filament protein formation during the different stages of BG response following injury and compares them with reactive glial patterns of other brain areas and patterns of glial development. The progress of Bergmann glial repair shares similar features with glial development. Following injury, BG developed nestin immunopositivity; then, colocalization of nestin and GFAP was observed. Finally, exclusively GFAP-immunopositive BG were restituted, denser, and thicker than before. The changes of intermediate filament composition appeared at first at the proximal and distal ends of BG fibers, i.e., at the perikaryal “root” and in the pial endfeet. No astrocytic invasion was present in the molecular layer, nor any distinct rearrangement of BG. These results demonstrate the role of the resident glia in glial reactions and refer to the priority of gliomeningeal connections.