Monoclonal antibodies to specific astroglial and neuronal antigens reveal the cytoarchitecture of the Bergmann glia fibers in the cerebellum

The cytoarchitecture of the cerebellar Bergmann fibers in the adult rat was investigated. Two monoclonal antibodies, one specific for the Bergmann fibers and astrocyte processes and the other specific for the cell bodies and dendrites of the Purkinje cells as well as an antiserum to the glial fibrillary acidic protein, were used in immunocytochemical peroxidase-antiperoxidase assays. The Bergmann fibers are revealed as columns organized in long vertical palisades parallel to the longitudinal plane of the folium. The palisades are not continuous; instead they are formed by sets of two to six aligned Bergmann fibers. Each of these sets of Bergmann fibers is separated from its longitudinally aligned neighbors by gaps. Each Bergmann fiber is formed by a bundle of two to four Bergmann glia processes which frequently show a helical organization. These results help to reconcile the different views on the organization of the Bergmann fibers derived from the studies done with the light microscope versus those done with the electron microscope. The Bergmann glia may play a fundamental role in directing the geometrical organization of the cerebellar constituents.