The relationship between size and vascularity in the spinal cord of developing Xenopus laevis

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Abstract
Sterzi (1904) studied the blood vessels of the spinal cord in the embryos and adults of a comprehensive series of chordates. He suggested that the formation of new blood vessels in the developing neural tube is controlled by local variations in the metabolic activity of the nerve cells, and that the grey matter of the adult central nervous system is more vascular than the white matter because it is functionally more active. A marked increase in the vascularity of the central nervous system during development has been demonstrated by quantitative observations on rats (Craigie, 1925), guinea-pigs (Petren, 1938), mice (Gyllensten, 1959a), chickens (Williams, 1937) and toads (Sims, 1961). This increase is associated with the maturation of the neurones and no experiments have been performed which separate the production of new blood vessels and the differentiation of these cells. Experimental conditions which prevent the increased vascularity of the mammalian central nervous system during development also prevent differentiation of the neurones.