Cellular gliosis of the human brain white matter and its significance in pathogenesis of focal epilepsy]

The study was performed in operative material obtained during surgical interventions from 129 patients aged from 5 to 47 with focal (temporal) epilepsy. Disease duration made from 1.5 to 47 Ys. In majority of cases cell gliosis was developed in substantia alba. Its basic component are incompletely differentiated cell forming likely the precursors of astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. They were not identified by means of classic histological methods. Disturbance of isolating function of the axon myelinated coat caused by myelinopathy and partial or complete demyelinization serves a stimulus to development of pronounced gliosis. In such case gliosis of substantia alba should be considered as compensatory adaptive reaction.