1. |
- Grabowski, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Fetal neocortical grafts implanted in adult hypertensive rats with cortical infarcts following a middle cerebral artery occlusion: ingrowth of afferent fibers from the host brain
- 1992
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In: Experimental Neurology. - 0014-4886. ; 116:2, s. 105-121
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study is focused on the survival of fetal neocortical grafts placed in the infarcted adult host cortex of the spontaneously hypertensive rat and describes the ability of host axonal regeneration into the graft after a focal ischaemic lesion. Five to seven days following ligation of the right middle cerebral artery, dissociated neocortical primordium from fetuses of gestational age 12-18 days was implanted into the infarcted cortical area. Surviving transplants were seen in all rats, although grafts derived from gestational age 12-14 days displayed an irregular morphology rich in sinusoid-like cavities and containing fewer cells of apparently mature neuronal morphology. Grafts from older donors contained perikarya of neuronal appearance; however, they lacked normal cortical lamination. Ten days postgrafting, fibers stained by acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, and 5-hydroxytryptamine immunohistochemistry were found in the grafts, and by 10-23 weeks after transplantation the fiber density had increased substantially. When the retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold was injected into the grafted tissue, labeled cells were found in several subcortical nuclei of the host, including the nucleus basalis of Meynert, ventral pallidum, thalamus, dorsal raphe, locus coeruleus, as well as the ipsilateral and contralateral neocortex. This study shows that grafts of dissociated neocortical tissue exhibit good survival and growth potential when implanted into infarcted neocortex and that several nerve fiber systems of the adult host have a regenerative capacity sufficient to innervate the grafted tissue.
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2. |
- Grabowski, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Functional integration of cortical grafts placed in brain infarcts of rats
- 1993
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In: Annals of Neurology. - : Wiley. - 1531-8249 .- 0364-5134. ; 34:3, s. 362-368
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Five to 6 days after a right middle cerebral artery occlusion, a cell suspension of fetal neocortex was grafted into the infarcted area of adult spontaneously hypertensive rats. Three to 17 months later, functional integration of the grafts into the afferent somatosensory pathway was tested using the 2-[14C]deoxyglucose method for estimation of glucose utilization. Grafted rats (n = 8) and control rats (n = 5) with no arterial occlusion were stimulated in the left vibrissal region resulting in an increased glucose utilization in the left trigeminal sensory nucleus and the right ventroposterior nucleus of the thalamus, whereas the same regions in a group (n = 5) of nonstimulated grafted rats were not activated. Glucose uptake in the right somatosensory cortex of control rats was 96 +/- 5 (mean +/- SEM) mumol/100 gm/min. Neocortical grafts consumed less glucose than cortex in control rats but the vibrissae-stimulated group displayed a 110% higher value than the nonstimulated grafted group (32 +/- 5 vs 15 +/- 2, p < 0.05). We conclude that graft glucose metabolism is increased following stimulation of the host somatosensory pathway, which demonstrates that transplanted neurons can be functionally integrated with neural circuitries of the host after an ischemic insult.
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3. |
- Grabowski, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Paw-reaching, sensorimotor, and rotational behavior after brain infarction in rats
- 1993
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In: Stroke: a journal of cerebral circulation. - 1524-4628. ; 24:6, s. 889-895
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Functional tests that are stable and consistent over time are an advantage for long-term evaluation of treatment in experimental stroke research. Because little information on this subject is available in rodents with focal cerebral ischemia, we investigated the outcome of three behavioral tests for a period of 3 months after the insult. METHODS: Spontaneously hypertensive rats were sham-operated (n = 27) or underwent an occlusion (n = 36) of the right middle cerebral artery. Before surgery all rats were tested for amphetamine-induced rotational behavior, and half of the rats were trained in a paw-reaching task. One, 2, and 3 months after surgery the tests were repeated, together with a test for sensorimotor function. Infarct size was measured morphometrically. RESULTS: In the lesion group, total hemisphere area was reduced by 22%, caudate putamen by 47%, and the thalamus by 24%. Contralateral to the lesion, paw-reaching was highly impaired, regardless of whether or not the rats had been pretrained, and lesion size correlated significantly to paw-reach performance. Ipsilateral rotation increased and sensorimotor function recovered with time in infarcted rats. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to amphetamine-induced rotation and sensorimotor behavior, the paw-reaching test provides a stable behavioral parameter after a middle cerebral artery occlusion. Moreover, the lesion-induced deficit in paw-reaching is highly correlated to the extent of the infarct, suggesting that this test is useful in evaluating treatment effects for a longer period of time.
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4. |
- Grabowski, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Survival of fetal neocortical grafts implanted in brain infarcts of adult rats: the influence of postlesion time and age of donor tissue
- 1994
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In: Experimental Neurology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0014-4886. ; 127:1, s. 126-136
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have previously found that fetal cortex taken from 16- to 18-day-old donors survives grafting to the infarcted cortex 5-7 days after middle cerebral artery occlusion. The present study was undertaken to examine the effect on graft survival of varying the age of the fetal donor tissue and the time between vessel occlusion and graft implantation. First, a cell suspension of neocortical tissue was grafted from fetuses aged 15, 17, or 20 gestational days to the infarcted cortex of hypertensive rats which had undergone arterial occlusion 5-7 days earlier. There were no significant differences in the mean size or general morphology assessed in Nissl- and acetylcholinesterase-stained sections between the groups. Second, neocortical tissue was grafted from fetuses aged 15 gestational days to the infarcted cortex at different times following arterial occlusion. When surgery was delayed until 5-7 days, 3 weeks, or 8 weeks postocclusion, graft survival was significantly better than when implanted 1 day postocclusion. Implantation after 3 weeks yielded grafts that also were significantly larger than those in rats grafted 5-7 days after cortical infarction. The results indicate that there is no crucial upper donor age limit for dissociated fetal neocortical grafts in terms of graft survival and volume. Furthermore, a delay between lesion and transplantation is desirable in this stroke model. The host brain environment seems to be most hospitable around 3 weeks after arterial occlusion.
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5. |
- Grabowski, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Vascularization of fetal neocortical grafts implanted in brain infarcts in spontaneously hypertensive rats
- 1992
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In: Neuroscience. - 1873-7544. ; 51:3, s. 673-682
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The vascularization of neural grafts in ischemic brain was studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats grafted with a suspension of fetal neocortical tissue into the infarcted area five to six days after ligation of the middle cerebral artery. The brain vasculature was examined by scanning electron microscopy of corrosion vascular casts and the cortical microvasculature was stereologically quantified in light microscopy three months after the occlusion. Patent anastomoses were present between the middle cerebral artery distal to occlusion and the proximal part, as well as to the anterior and posterior cerebral arteries, in both grafted and non-grafted rats. A vascular plexus covering the infarct cavities and the grafts contained leptomeningeal vessels intermingled with a thin capillary network which is not normally found on the brain surface. The graft vessels were derived from this vascular plexus. The regular pattern of arterioles and venules penetrating from the cortical surface in normal neocortex was absent in the grafts but the capillary morphology was similar in both types of tissue. The grafts had a lower capillary density than normal tissue and lacked the laminar distribution of capillaries characteristic of normal neocortex. The results demonstrate the plasticity of the vascular system where remodeling of the vascular tree after an ischemic insult provides suitable conditions for the vascularization of neocortical grafts.
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6. |
- Lindvall, O, et al.
(author)
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Grafts of fetal dopamine neurons survive and improve motor function in Parkinson's disease
- 1990
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In: Science (New York, N.Y.). - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 247:4942, s. 7-574
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neural transplantation can restore striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission in animal models of Parkinson's disease. It has now been shown that mesencephalic dopamine neurons, obtained from human fetuses of 8 to 9 weeks gestational age, can survive in the human brain and produce marked and sustained symptomatic relief in a patient severely affected with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The grafts, which were implanted unilaterally into the putamen by stereotactic surgery, restored dopamine synthesis and storage in the grafted area, as assessed by positron emission tomography with 6-L-[18F]fluorodopa. This neurochemical change was accompanied by a therapeutically significant reduction in the patient's severe rigidity and bradykinesia and a marked diminuation of the fluctuations in the patient's condition during optimum medication (the "on-off" phenomenon). The clinical improvement was most marked on the side contralateral to the transplant.
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7. |
- Lindvall, O, et al.
(author)
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Transplantation of fetal dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease : one-year clinical and neurophysiological observations in two patients with putaminal implants
- 1992
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In: Annals of Neurology. - : Wiley. - 0364-5134 .- 1531-8249. ; 31:2, s. 65-155
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ventral mesencephalic tissue from aborted human fetuses (age, 6-7 weeks' postconception) was implanted unilaterally into the putamen using stereotaxic surgery in 2 immunosuppressed patients (Patients 3 and 4 in our series) with advanced idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Tissue from 4 fetuses was grafted to each patient. Compared with our previous 2 patients, the following changes in the grafting procedure were introduced: the implantation instrument was thinner, more tissue was placed in the operated structure, and the time between abortion and grafting was shorter. There were no postoperative complications. Both patients showed a gradual and significant amelioration of parkinsonian symptoms (most marked in Patient 3) starting at 6 and 12 weeks after grafting, respectively, reaching maximum stability at approximately 4 to 5 months; patients remained relatively stable thereafter during the 1-year follow-up period. Clinical improvement was observed as a reduction of the time spent in the "off" phase and the number of daily "off" periods; a lessening of bradykinesia and rigidity during the "off" phase, mainly but not solely on the side contralateral to the graft; and a prolongation and change in the pattern of the effect of a single dose of L-dopa. Neurophysiological measurements revealed a more rapid performance of simple and complex arm and hand movements bilaterally, but primarily contralateral to the graft. The results indicate that patients with Parkinson's disease can show significant and sustained improvement of motor function after intrastriatal implantation of fetal dopamine-rich mesencephalic tissue. The accompanying paper by Sawle and colleagues describes the results of repeated positron emission tomography scans in these patients.
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8. |
- Mandel, Ronald J., et al.
(author)
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The Importance of Graft Placement and Task Complexity for Transplant-Induced Recovery of Simple and Complex Sensorimotor Deficits in Dopamine Denervated Rats
- 1990
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In: European Journal of Neuroscience. - : Wiley. - 1460-9568 .- 0953-816X. ; 2:10, s. 888-894
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The present study examined the role of graft placement and behavioural task complexity in determining the functional efficacy of intrastriatal grafts of dopamine-rich fetal ventral mesencephalon (VM) placed in the dopamine (DA) depleted striatum. The functional effects of two different striatal placements of VM grafts were evaluated using tests of drug-induced motor asymmetry, simple sensorimotor orienting response, and a more complex sensorimotor integrative task (disengage behaviour), in which the rat has to perform the orienting response while in the act of eating. Rats with complete unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions of the mesostriatal DA pathway, received either implants of dissociated fetal VM in the central or ventrolateral portions of the denervated striatum. Nongrafted lesioned rats served as controls. Nine weeks after grafting, the rats were tested on separate days for disengage behaviour, sensorimotor orientation, and amphetamine-induced rotational behaviour. Consistent with previous findings, the two graft placements had differential effects on drug-induced motor asymmetry and sensorimotor responses: the centrally placed VM grafts reversed amphetamine-induced rotational asymmetry but had little effect on the sensorimotor deficit, whereas the ventrolaterally placed grafts reversed the sensorimotor orientation deficits without any effect on the drug-induced rotation. In contrast, fetal VM grafts, regardless of their placement, did not ameliorate the observed deficits in disengage behaviour; that is the grafted rats that had recovered their sensorimotor response in the absence of food were unable to perform the same orienting response while eating. These results provide evidence that functional intrastriatal VM grafts which are capable of restoring sensorimotor responses or motor asymmetry fail to affect lesion-induced deficits in a task that requires more complex sensorimotor integration. It is suggested that the degree of anatomical integration of the grafted DA neurons into the host circuitry will determine the efficacy of the grafts to influence more complex sensorimotor integrative deficits in the DA lesion model.
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9. |
- Nikkhah, G, et al.
(author)
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Platelet-derived growth factor promotes survival of rat and human mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in culture
- 1993
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In: Experimental Brain Research. - 0014-4819 .- 1432-1106. ; 92:3, s. 516-523
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The effect of two isoforms of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), PDGF-AA and PDGF-BB, was tested on dissociated cell cultures of ventral mesencephalon from rat and human embryos. PDGF-BB but not PDGF-AA reduced the progressive loss of tyrosine hydroxylase- (TH)-positive neurons in rat and human cell cultures. The mean number of TH-positive cells in the PDGF-BB-treated rat culture was 64% and 106% higher than in the control cultures after 7 and 10 days in vitro, respectively. Corresponding figures for human TH-positive neurons were 90% and 145%. The influence of PDGF-BB was specific for TH-positive neurons and not a general trophic effect, since no change of either total cell number or metabolic activity was found. In PDGF-BB-treated cultures of human but not rat tissue the TH-positive neurons had longer neurites than observed in control or PDGF-AA-treated cultures. These data indicate that PDGF-BB may act as a trophic factor for mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons and suggest that administration of PDGF-BB could ameliorate degeneration and possibly promote axonal sprouting of these neurons in vivo.
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10. |
- Smits, A, et al.
(author)
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Expression of platelet-derived growth factor in and around intrastriatal embryonic mesencephalic grafts
- 1993
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In: Cell Transplantation. - : SAGE Publications. - 0963-6897 .- 1555-3892. ; 2:2, s. 151-162
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) was investigated in the embryonic donor tissue and surrounding host brain before and after intracerebral transplantation in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Ventral mesencephalic tissue from E13-E15 rat embryos was dissociated and implanted into adult rats with unilateral lesions of the mesostriatal dopamine system. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the majority of the grafted cells were PDGF-positive at early time points after grafting. However, the immunostaining gradually decreased, and had disappeared almost completely 3 wk after transplantation. These results were in agreement with in situ hybridization data demonstrating detectable levels of mRNA for PDGF chains in graft cells after 1, but not after 6 wk. In contrast, a large number of PDGF-immunoreactive cells was observed in the host brain adjacent to the grafts from 1 wk after transplantation, and increasing with time. Increased expression of PDGF was also observed in response to a sham-operation (injection of vehicle), although the number of PDGF-positive cells seemed lower than after grafting of embryonic tissue. Double immunofluorescence labeling of these cells with an anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antiserum and a monoclonal antibody against PDGF B-chain, indicated that the PDGF-positive cells were astrocytes. The dynamic expression of PDGF in and around intrastriatal embryonic mesencephalic implants has several, potentially important, implications for graft survival and function. Glial cells could utilize the elevated levels of PDGF to proliferate in a reactive gliosis, and PDGF might also augment immune responses. It is also possible that PDGF increases the survival of, and promotes neurite outgrowth from, grafted dopaminergic neurons.
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