[en] Astroglial cells make up the largest glial population in the brain and play a variety of vital functions in the development of the CNS. Defects in the development of these cells may induce various neurodegenerative disorders and result in neural disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the normal development of astrocytes in sheep in various zones of the cerebellum during the different stages of gestation. 19 ovine fetuses, one lamb in the first postnatal week and three adult sheep. Sections of the cerebellum were embedded in paraffin and processed for immunohistochemistry for GFAP. The current study indicates that the first appearance of astrocytes occurs around the 8th week of gestation from restricted zones in the cerebellum. Bergmann cells were present around the 15th week of gestation. Our findings suggest that the maturation of astrocytes begins in the caudal parts of the cerebellum from their initial ventral regions to dorsal regions radially within the white matter followed by the more rostral parts of the cerebellum and that the astrocytes proliferate in the vermis before the cerebellar hemispheres. Our study provide a bases for future studies focusing on the pathological changes in the CNS of both human and sheep.
