Abstract
AbstractFollowing surgical removal of one eye, rats were permitted to survive for three days, one, two and four months, and before killing them they were injected with 2 mc of leucine‐H3 intraperitoneally. The utilization of this radiochemical was investigated in the brain autoradiographically. In all groups of animals the uptake of radioleucine, as determined by microdensitometry, was significantly higher in the “degenerated” optic nerve and tract than in their “normal” counterparts, with the relative difference increasing with longer postoperative survival within the periods tested. This progressive net increase in the utilization of leucine‐H3 was associated with an absolute increase in the number of glia cells. Similar, but attenuated, density differences were also obtained with relatively large‐aperture measurements over the stratum griseum of the superior colliculus in which the optic tract fibers terminate. In contrast, small‐aperture measurements of grain density over single neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus showed no difference in the utilization of leucine‐H3 between the normal and subtotally deafferented sides. This suggests an absence of transneuronal changes in protein metabolism in the visual system of the rat as long as four months after unilateral enucleation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
