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Neural transplants and their influence on traumatized fibers of the host spinal cord
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specific monoclonal antibodies to simultaneously detect the antigenic sites for SP and ENK. using direct immunocytochemistry at the ultrastructural level. This allowed us to demonstrate that SP and ENK immunoreactivities are co-localized in a considerable number of neurons of the dorsal horn, both in rat and cat. The possible functional role of neurochemically characterized dorsal horn synaptic circuits can be extrapolated from the peptide immunoreactivity of synaptic profiles contacting physiologically classified, intracellularly filled dorsal horn neurons. (Funded by NIH. the National Institute of Health).
NEURAL TRANSPLANTS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON TRAUMATIZED FIBERS OF THE HOST SPINAL CORD Das, G. D. Chairman: R. Marchand Purdue University. West Lgfbyette, IN 47907. Embryonic tissues of various type can be transplanted into the traumatized spinal cord ofthe adult animals. Neural tissues with high growth potential, such as neocortical tissue from young embryos, yield the most successful results. Their survival, growth, and integration with the host spinal cord are not severely affected by the surrounding pathological conditions following transplantation. Observations based on such preparations indicate the following:
ABSTRACTS
OF PLENARY
LECTURES
Neural transplants that are well-integrated with the spinal cord tissue show afferent and efferent connectivity with the host spinal cord. Unintegrated transplants do not show such connectivity. Afferent fibers arising from the spinal cord represent regenerating fibers and they seem to arise from the traumatized axons of the spinal cord. Other axonal fibers near the transplants that are not traumatized do not contribute to these afferents to the transplants. Aff‘erent fibers penetrate the transplants only along the regions of interface. They are abundant at the interface with the gray matter of the spinal cord. These fibers are unmyelinated or thinly myelinated. Very likely they are the collaterals of the traumatized fibers in the gray matter and the surrounding white matter. These afferents generally terminate in the clusters of neurons in the transplants close to the interface. They do not traverse through the transplants to reach the other end of the traumatized spinal cord and they do not extend deep into the transplants. These and other related findings show that traumatized fibers of spinal cord are capable of showing regeneration in the form of collateral sprouts. and that they can grow and penetrate the interface and make afferent connections on the neurons of the transplants. And, neural transplants seem to provide desirable milieu to the ingrowing axonal collaterals and support them permanently. Transplants of all types of neural tissues show these characteristics as long as they are anatomically well-integrated with the host spinal cord tissue. Research supported by NIH research grant NS-088 17.
specific monoclonal antibodies to simultaneously detect the antigenic sites for SP and ENK. using direct immunocytochemistry at the ultrastructural level. This allowed us to demonstrate that SP and ENK immunoreactivities are co-localized in a considerable number of neurons of the dorsal horn, both in rat and cat. The possible functional role of neurochemically characterized dorsal horn synaptic circuits can be extrapolated from the peptide immunoreactivity of synaptic profiles contacting physiologically classified, intracellularly filled dorsal horn neurons. (Funded by NIH. the National Institute of Health).
NEURAL TRANSPLANTS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON TRAUMATIZED FIBERS OF THE HOST SPINAL CORD Das, G. D. Chairman: R. Marchand Purdue University. West Lgfbyette, IN 47907. Embryonic tissues of various type can be transplanted into the traumatized spinal cord ofthe adult animals. Neural tissues with high growth potential, such as neocortical tissue from young embryos, yield the most successful results. Their survival, growth, and integration with the host spinal cord are not severely affected by the surrounding pathological conditions following transplantation. Observations based on such preparations indicate the following:
ABSTRACTS
OF PLENARY
LECTURES
Neural transplants that are well-integrated with the spinal cord tissue show afferent and efferent connectivity with the host spinal cord. Unintegrated transplants do not show such connectivity. Afferent fibers arising from the spinal cord represent regenerating fibers and they seem to arise from the traumatized axons of the spinal cord. Other axonal fibers near the transplants that are not traumatized do not contribute to these afferents to the transplants. Aff‘erent fibers penetrate the transplants only along the regions of interface. They are abundant at the interface with the gray matter of the spinal cord. These fibers are unmyelinated or thinly myelinated. Very likely they are the collaterals of the traumatized fibers in the gray matter and the surrounding white matter. These afferents generally terminate in the clusters of neurons in the transplants close to the interface. They do not traverse through the transplants to reach the other end of the traumatized spinal cord and they do not extend deep into the transplants. These and other related findings show that traumatized fibers of spinal cord are capable of showing regeneration in the form of collateral sprouts. and that they can grow and penetrate the interface and make afferent connections on the neurons of the transplants. And, neural transplants seem to provide desirable milieu to the ingrowing axonal collaterals and support them permanently. Transplants of all types of neural tissues show these characteristics as long as they are anatomically well-integrated with the host spinal cord tissue. Research supported by NIH research grant NS-088 17.