In vitro formation of neuroglial synapses

Neuroglial synapses have been systematically observed in histotypical cerebellar rotary tissue cultures. These axoglial contacts appear as excitatory‐like synapses in which the presynaptic element contains rounded synaptic vesicles accumulated at the presynaptic active zone. The postsynaptic structures were always the somata as well as processes of astrocytic glial cells. The axoglial contacts appear in these cultures when they are prepared from 16‐day‐old chick embryos cerebellum and cultivated during 6 days. To explain these neuroglial interrelationship it has been suggested as a working hypothesis that glial and nerve cells develop plastic capacities in order to establish synaptic contact in the in vitro conditions.