Because horned animals are prone to conflict, they may have a higher risk of developing a brain contusion as a result of a horn strike. Repeated brain trauma can affect the hippocampus, which is involved in memory and orientation. The aim of this study was to histopathologically examine the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of the hippocampus in horned and hornless female sheep. Skulls of 4 horned and 6 hornless female sheep aged 16±4 months were obtained from the abattoir. Brains were carefully removed and preserved in 10 % formalin for 5 days. Sections were taken from bilateral hippocampus. Specimens were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and Tunel methods, and the histopathologic structures of the BBB were examined by light microscopy. BBB damage scores evaluated. The results were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test. The BBB damage score was found to be higher in horned female sheep. Astrocytes was more branching and BBB was more intact in hornless female sheep. This is considered that more astrocyte branches may play an important role in the protective mechanism. The difference in intracerebral defense mechanism against brain trauma in female sheep may serve as a model for investigating molecular mechanisms. The impairment of the BBB in the hippocampal region of horned female sheep may result in their memory, intelligence, and navigational abilities being lower than those of hornless female sheep. This could open the horizon for better advances in human and animal brain health.

KEY WORDS: Blood brain barrier; Female sheep; Hippocampus; Horn; Trauma.

SARBAK, A.; ÇIRAK, M. T.; ÇIRAK, A. & DÖNMEZ, B. Root variations in the teeth of ancient people of Hadrianopolis. Int. J. Morphol., 42(5):1403-1409, 2024.