ENHANCED SYMPATHETIC NEURITE OUTGROWTH ON RAT HIPPOCAMPAL TISSUE-SECTIONS FOLLOWING SEPTAL-LESIONS

Cryostat sections of the rat hippocampus were used as tissue culture s ubstrates for embryonic chick sympathetic explants. Neurite outgrowth from these explants was found to be significantly greater on sections taken from animals with septal lesions as compared to those receiving sham operations. This finding suggests that septal denervation leads t o hippocampal substrate changes that enhance sympathetic neurite outgr owth in vitro, perhaps analogous to the sympathetic sprouting response that occurs in vivo.