Physiological and morphological characterization of striatal neurons transplanted into the striatum of adult rats.

Abstract

Physiological and morphological properties of transplanted striatal neurons (TSNs) were examined in an in vitro slice preparation. Fetal striatal tissue (E13-14) was implanted as a dissociated cellular suspension into the striatum of adult rats. Intracellular records were obtained from TSNs 2-6 weeks after transplantation. TSNs exhibited biophysical, morphological, and synaptic properties characteristic of normal striatal neurons, despite the disruption involved in processing of the fetal tissue. Differences were observed, however, between the TSNs and host striatal neurons. TSNs consistently had higher input resistance values than host striatal neurons as determined by neuronal responses to intracellular current injection. Stimulation of adjacent host striatum elicited both excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials in TSNs. By contrast, the same stimuli elicited only excitatory responses in host striatal neurons. Morphologically, TSNs resembled host medium-size spiny neurons as demonstrated by intracellular injection of lucifer yellow. However, the complexity of dendritic branching and the density of spines on the dendrites were less than that observed for host striatal neurons. It was concluded that during the posttransplantation period studied, TSNs possess neuronal properties expected of developmentally immature striatal neurons.