Ganglion Cells In Adult Rats Research Articles

Dendritic regrowth of retinal ganglion cells in adult rats.

IN adult rat retinal ganglion cells, we investigated how their dendrites are maintained during axonal regeneration induced by a peripheral nerve (PN) graft. Intracellular Lucifer Yellow injection revealed that rapid dendritic retraction occurred immediately after axotomy and grafting. However, dendrites that probably sprouted after axotomy were often found in the regenerating ganglion cells, and their dendritic field tended to recover in area by 3 months after grafting. Although such dendrites were also found in an axotomized cell receiving no PN graft, they are much more frequently observed in the regenerating cells. Therefore, a PN graft can facilitate the rat ganglion cells to regrow their dendrites.

Precrushed sciatic nerve grafts enhance the survival and axonal regrowth of retinal ganglion cells in adult rats

We have examined the influence of normal and precrushed (“conditioned”) sciatic nerve grafts on the survival and axonal growth of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in adult rats. Normal sciatic nerves (group A) or sciatic nerves which had been crushed 1 week before transplantation (group B, conditioned grafts) were used as grafts. The nerves were removed and sutured to the proximal stump of intraorbitally axotomized optic nerves. Neuronal survival and axon growth were determined by counting the numbers of surviving, DiI-prelabeled RGCs, cresyl violet-stained RGCs and the numbers of axons which had grown into the grafts 3 and 6 months after transplantation. Counting of axons was performed by combined use of light and electron microscopy. We observed that the use of conditioned grafts (group B) significantly enhanced RGC survival and axonal regrowth as compared to normal grafts 3 months after transplantation. Six months after grafting, RGC survival (as determined in DiI-stained retinae) and axonal growth were not significantly different in both groups. These results suggest that the functional status of a peripheral nerve used for grafting in the CNS influences neuronal viability and axonal reelongation especially during the first 3 months after grafting. Very long-term RGC survival, however, may be determined by functional reconnection of regenerating RGC axons rather than by the graft itself.

Different effects of intracranial and intraorbital section of the optic nerve on the functional responses of rat retinal ganglion cells

A lesion to the optic nerve of adult mammals leads to the retrograde degeneration and finally to the death of injured retinal ganglion cells. In this study, we have evaluated the effects induced by different sites of axotomy on the functional changes occurring in the retinal ganglion cells after optic nerve section. We have investigated the functional properties of retinal ganglion cells of adult rats by recording the retinal responses to patterned stimuli (pattern electroretinogram) after unilateral section of the optic nerve at two different levels: intraorbital and intracranial. The results show that the site of lesion of the optic nerve affects the time of disappearance of the pattern electroretinogram. The pattern electroretinogram takes longer to be degraded after an intracranial section than an intraorbital section.

Influences of peripheral nerve grafts on the survival and regrowth of axotomized retinal ganglion cells in adult rats

To investigate the role of extrinsic influences on the survival and growth of axotomized retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the mature mammalian CNS, both optic nerves (ONs) of adult rats were transected intraorbitally and, on one side, replaced by an autologous segment of peripheral nerve (PN) that had been left unconnected distally. The survival of RGCs and the regrowth of their cut axons into the PN grafts were assessed using morphometric techniques, neuroanatomic tracers, and immunologic cell markers to identify and count RGCs at times ranging from 15 d to 9 months. It was observed that (1) in the absence of a PN graft, more than 90% of the RGCs died by 1 month after axotomy; (2) between 1 and 3 months after axotomy, survival of RGCs in the PN-grafted retinas was enhanced 2-4-fold; (3) nearly 20% of the surviving RGCs regrew lengthy axons into the grafts; and (4) although the density of surviving RGCs in PN-grafted retinas decreased significantly between 1 and 3 months after axotomy, the densities of RGCs with axons extending into the graft remained relatively stable. These results confirm that in the adult rat retina, neuronal death is a major effect of axotomy near the cell soma. Although such lesions lead to the degeneration of many RGCs, we show that extrinsic influences introduced by the apposition of a PN segment at the time of severing the ON can rescue a substantial number of these neurons. Because the enhanced survival of many axotomized RGCs in the PN-grafted retinas appears to be limited to the first few weeks after injury, while those of RGCs that regenerate axons into the grafts do not show a parallel decline, it is possible that, in these experiments, neuronal viability depends on a spectrum of differently timed influences that may include the early diffusion of critical molecules arising from the graft and the subsequent establishment of more complex interactions with graft components.

The effects of unilateral cortical and tectal lesions on retinal ganglion cells in rats

The ganglion cell layer of the retina was examined for retrograde transneuronal degeneration after removing the striate cortex unilaterally in infant or adult rats. No significant degeneration occurred, even after a survival time of 15 months, and the rat is therefore unlike other mammals in which the phenomenon has been studied. A possible explanation that most optic axons bifurcate in rats and that the tectal branch can sustain the ganglion cell after the branch to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus has degenerated following removal of striate cortex was ruled out by the demonstration that combined unilateral removal of striate cortex and superior colliculus in adults was similarly ineffective. Unilateral removal of the superior colliculus alone also failed to affect ganglion cells of adult rats but produced conspicuous degeneration in infants. The greater vulnerability of the infantile developing visual system casts doubt on the common assumption that the effects of brain damage are less severe in infants than adults.

Electron microscopic studies of spinal ganglion cells following crushing of dorsal roots in adult rat

Chromatolytic alterations were induced in the spinal ganglion cells of adult rats by crushing the dorsal roots of the cauda equina. The lesioned animals were sacrificed at 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after lesion. Ganglia of lesioned roots were fixed in aldehydes followed by osmication. The normal ganglion cell possessed a circular or oval, centrally located nucleus. Small aggregates of free and membrane-bound ribosomes were diffusely located in the cytoplasm. Organelles, such as mitochondria, Golgi complexes, and dense bodies, were randomly located in the cell. The earliest reaction of the ganglion cell to injury was seen in the nucleus. Slight irregularity of nuclear outline was observed in 3 days and became progressively more evident by 2–3 weeks. Associated with this feature was the appearance of numerous nuclear pores. Eccentric position of the nucleus was noted by 4 weeks post-lesion. The cytoplasmic response consisted of aggregation and peripheral displacement of massive Nissl bodies. Multiple hypertrophic Golgi complexes and numerous dense bodies, presumably lysosomes, were also found in these cells. The neurofilamentous reaction was marked in the perinuclear zone as well as in the rest of the cytoplasm. Both small and large ganglion cells exhibited evidences of chromatolysis. The present studies clearly indicate that the reactive ganglion cells are capable of actively synthesizing the proteins necessary for dorsal root regeneration observed in our earlier studies.

Dendritic fields of retinal ganglion cells of the rat.

ArticlesDENDRITIC FIELDS OF RETINAL GANGLION CELLS OF THE RATJoel E. BrownJoel E. BrownPublished Online:01 Nov 1965https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1965.28.6.1091MoreSectionsPDF (1 MB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailWeChat Previous Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformationCited ByExperimentally derived model shows that adaptation acts as a powerful spatiotemporal filter of visual responses in the rat collicular neurons12 June 2018 | Scientific Reports, Vol. 8, No. 1Categorization of Physiologically and Morphologically Characterized non-α/non-β Cat Retinal Ganglion Cells Using Fractal GeometryFractals, Vol. 05, No. 04Intravitreal injections of neurotrophic factors support the survival of axotomized retinal ganglion cells in adult rats in vivoBrain Research, Vol. 602, No. 2Contrast sensitivity and visual acuity of the pigmented rat determined electrophysiologicallyVision Research, Vol. 27, No. 10Staining of retinal neurons in the isolated eyecup by extracellular horseradish peroxidase injectionVision Research, Vol. 26, No. 2Responses to light of retinal neurons regenerating axons into peripheral nerve grafts in the ratBrain Research, Vol. 359, No. 1-2A monoclonal antibody specific for retinal ganglion cells of mammalsBrain Research, Vol. 338, No. 2Chapter 2 The ganglion cell layer of the mammalian retinaProgress in Retinal Research, Vol. 1Determination of the developmental pattern of retinal ganglion cells in chick embryos by golgi impregnation and other methodsAnatomy and Embryology, Vol. 158, No. 3Properties of cells responding to visual stimuli in the rat ventral lateral geniculate nucleusExperimental Neurology, Vol. 66, No. 3Growth of the adult goldfish eye—I: OpticsVision Research, Vol. 17, No. 3Ramification patterns of ganglion cell dendrites in the retina of the albino ratBrain Research, Vol. 103, No. 1Classification of frog retina neurons by their quantitative characteristicsVision Research, Vol. 14, No. 12Retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase by ganglion cells of the albino rat retinaBrain Research, Vol. 73, No. 2Flash-evoked responses of two types of principal cells of the rat lateral geniculate bodyBrain Research, Vol. 57, No. 1Effect of visual deprivation and light on synapses of the inner plexiform layerExperimental Neurology, Vol. 35, No. 3Ganglion, amacrine and horizontal cells of the cat's retinaVision Research, Vol. 7, No. 9-10 More from this issue > Volume 28Issue 6November 1965Pages 1091-1100 https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1965.28.6.1091PubMed5883733History Published online 1 November 1965 Published in print 1 November 1965 Metrics