Glial scar instability after brain injury.

Glial scar is formed following surgical damage to the cerebral cortex. In the present study we examined the ultrastructural status of the cerebral cortex 14 to 180 days following surgical damage to cerebral parenchyma. The results showed a contribution of astrocytes, but also mesodermal cells, to the process of scar formation. Furthermore, our study showed that the process initiated by trauma did not terminate with the formation of a glial scar. Late phases of repair following tissue damage were associated with lytic processes and a disassembly of the cerebral parenchyma. These findings indicate a changing and unstable nature of the glial scar and its components.