Ps. Diener et Bs. Bregman, NEUROTROPHIC FACTORS PREVENT THE DEATH OF CNS NEURONS AFTER SPINAL-CORD LESIONS IN NEWBORN RATS, NeuroReport, 5(15), 1994, pp. 1913-1917
THE aim of this study was to determine if the exogenous administration
of neurotrophic factors can rescue immature axotomized CNS neurons in
vivo. After spinal cord hemisection in newborn rats, the exogenous ad
ministration of neurotrophic factors brain-derived neurotrophic factor
(BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and nerve growth factor (NGF), prevents
the retrograde cell death of axotomized red nucleus neurons (and othe
r brain stem spinal neurons) in vivo. Rescue of red nucleus neurons wa
s maintained in the presence of BDNF, but only transiently maintained
by NT-3 and NGF. Neurons within the nucleus dorsalis (Clarke's nucleus
) of the spinal cord are also axotomized by this lesion. The applicati
on of exogenous NT-3, but not NGF or BDNF, rescued Clarke's nucleus ne
urons. These observations indicate that neurotrophic factors play a cr
ucial role in the survival of CNS neurons in vivo during development a
nd after injury. Furthermore, these results indicate that particular p
opulations of neurons are dependent upon specific neurotrophic support
after injury.