AMYOTROPHIC-LATERAL-SCLEROSIS CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID IS NOT TOXIC TO CULTURED SPINAL MOTOR-NEURONS

We have studied an effect of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients w ith amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on explanted and dissociated v entral spinal cord cultures from 13-day-old rat embryos. CSF samples w ere obtained from 10 ALS patients, 10 other neurological patients, and 70 non-neurological patients. CSF was added at dilution of 10, 25, an d 50%. Neurite length and neuronal survival ratio were not significant ly different among these three groups. ALS CSF does not contain a neur otoxic factor on the cultured spinal motor neurons.