DECELERATED MIGRATION OF NEOCORTICAL NEURONS IN EXPLANT CULTURE AFTEREXPOSURE TO RADIATION

WE describe a newly devised explant culture system employing rat neoco rtex in which neurones migrate in a fashion similar to that seen in vi vo. Using neocortical explant culture we have demonstrated an effect o f ionizing radiation on neuronal migration at doses as low as 10 cGy t ogether with a changing pattern of expression of the neural cell adhes ion molecule N-CAM. After a dose of more than 10 cGy there was a signi ficant reduction in N-CAM immunoreactivity in the matrix cell zone. We do not know the reason why the reduction in N-CAM immunoreactivity is so localized, although it is not unlikely that the most active site i n terms of N-CAM synthesis is significantly affected by radiation.