REPAIR AND RECOVERY FOLLOWING SPINAL-CORD INJURY IN A NEONATAL MARSUPIAL (MONODELPHIS-DOMESTICA)

1. Repair and recovery following spinal cord injury (complete spinal c ord crush) has been studied in vitro in neonatal opossum (Monodelphis domestica), fetal rat and in vivo in neonatal opossum. 2. Crush injury of the cultured spinal cord of isolated entire central nervous system (CNS) of neonatal opossum (P4-10) or fetal rats (E15-E16) was followe d by profuse growth of fibres and recovery of conduction of impulses t hrough the crush, Previous studies of injured immature mammalian spina l cord have described fibre growth occurring only around the lesion, u nless implanted with fetal CNS. 3. The period during which successful growth occurred in response to a crush is developmentally regulated, N o such growth was obtained after P12 in spinal cords crushed in vitro at the level of C7-8. 4. In vivo, in the neonatal (P4-8) marsupial opo ssum, growth of fibres through, and restoration of, impulse conduction across the crush was apparent 1-2 weeks after injury, With longer per iods of time after crushing a considerable degree of normal locomotor function developed. 5. By the time the operated animals reached adulth ood, the morphological structure of the spinal cord, both in the regio n of the crush and on either side of the site of the lesion, appeared grossly normal. 6. The results are discussed in relation to the eventu al long-term possibility of devising effective treatments for patients with spinal cord injuries.