Summary
The pia mater consists of a single, interrupted layer of elongated cells which lie fairly close to the surface of the cortex. Granular material and some collagen fibres lie between the pial cells and the cortex, a greater amount of collagen being present where the pial cells are discontinuous. Basement membrane covers the outer aspect of the cortex, the outer layer of which is formed by interlacing astrocyte processes of varying size. The processes are closely applied with occasional desmosomes between them. Projections of astrocyte processes of different dimensions covered by basement membrane extend at irregular intervals from the cortex into the subarachnoid space.
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Lopes, C.A.S., Mair, W.G.P. Ultrastructure of the outer cortex and thepia mater in man. Acta Neuropathol 28, 79–86 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687521
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687521