Adrenal medullary “ribbon” grafts in non-human primates: transplant method

Abstract

A novel stereotaxic method permits the transplantation of autologous adrenal medullary tissue into the brain parenchyma in longtailed macaques. Long, narrow “ribbons” of intact medullary tissue are drawn into a 19-gauge needle by suction and deposited in the caudate, putamen or substantia nigra without collapsing their linear conformation. Methods of dissection, preparation of medullary ribbons, stereotaxic insertion, and chronic intracerebroventricular treatment are described in detail. The ribbon method consistently yields a large amount of viable adrenal tissue after the 4–8 week survival times tested. Although further development is necessary before this method can be applied in humans, the results suggest that autologous adrenal tissue may be viable when transplanted in human parkinsonian patients according to these methods.