Vascular characteristics of the lamina terminalis of the human hypothalamus

: The aim of the study is to discover the sources of vascularization, vascular area, the size and density of the capillary network of the vascular organ of the laminae terminalis of the hypothalamus. The brain blood vessels under examination were filled with a mixture of India ink and gelatin. The serial paraffin sections of 30 and 200 um were cleared after Spalteholz. In the vascularization of this neuroendocrine structure of the hypothalamus, two arterial stems take part with their branches: a cerebri anterior and a. communicans anterior. In order to quantify the density of the capillary network, the authors used standard stereologic parameters - volumene density, surface density and mean radius of blood vessels. While the precise functions of the vascular organ have yet to be fully elucidated, the similarity in organization of this region to the median eminence has led several authors to suggest a neurosecretory role for the vascular organ of the lamina terminalis.