Fig 1: Concomitant fluorescence staining of WFA and collagen IV (Coll IV) in the ischemia-affected neocortex 24 h after ischemia onset combined with the immunolabeling of NF-L (A–A'') or AQP4 (B–B''’). The green fluorescent WFA staining of PNs is diminished or erased in the ischemic tissue, which becomes obvious for the presented border zone (A,B). In parallel, affected tissue displays a heavily upregulated NF-L-ir in the upper cortical layers and frequently in pyramidal cells with long apical dendrites (A'). In the first overlay (A''), ischemic areas are additionally pronounced by strongly enhanced collagen (Coll) IV-ir color-coded in blue. Next, panel (B') elucidates that in the infarcted region AQP4, as a marker for astrocytic endfeet visualizing vessels under physiological conditions, is drastically altered (as visible in the lower right part of the micrograph) or even abolished. The second overlay also shows that Coll IV-ir is upregulated in areas devoid of PNs and AQP4-ir, and also in tissue with damaged PNs and diffuse AQP4-ir. Scale bars (A'') (also valid for A,A'), 100 µm, (B'') (also valid for B,B'), 100 µm.