Crutcher, K. A. (1989). Tissue sections from the mature rat brain and spinal cord as substrates for neurite outgrowth in vitro: extensive growth on gray matter but little growth on white matter.
Experimental Neurology,104(1):39-54.
Abstract
The failure of axons to regenerate within the brain and spinal cord
of mature mammals has been attributed to the absence of
growth-promoting substances, especially extracellular matrix
components, or to the presence of growth-inhibiting substances,
particularly components associated with CNS myelin. The ability of
mature mammalian CNS tissue to support neurite regeneration was
tested by growing explants of embryonic chick lumbar sympathetic
ganglia on fresh frozen sections of the mature rat brain and spinal
cord. The extent of neurite outgrowth was quantified using
morphometric analysis for explants grown on sections that included
most of the major anatomical divisions of the CNS. Extensive, but
variable, regeneration was present on gray matter regions, whereas
major white matter tracts showed poor support, if any, for neurite
growth. The results are consistent with the presence of
growth-inhibiting factors associated with CNS white matter but also
indicate that most gray matter regions of the mature mammalian brain
and spinal cord will support axonal regeneration in tissue culture
in spite of the absence of known extracellular matrix components.
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