NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF N-METHYL-D-ASPARTATE NONCOMPETITIVE ANTAGONISTS (ARYLCYCLOHEXYLAMINE DERIVATIVES) ON HUMAN CULTURED SPINAL-CORD CELLS

The non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist cis-Pip/Me 1-[1-(2 -thienyl)-2-methyl-cyclohexyl] piperidine (GK11) either in racemic(+/- ) or (-) enantiomeric form has been investigated on survival of human fetal spinal cord cells in culture. The treated cultured cells were pr ocessed for immunocytochemical detection of GABA at different time int ervals ranging from 3 to 27 weeks. The number of GABA-stained cells wa s found to be greater in the treated cultures than in the control ones . The qualitative and quantitative morphological features of both cont rol and treated cells were analysed by computer-assisted methods which allowed us to individualize three different populations: (1) all cont rol and treated small neuritic field neurons, (2) young control and ol d treated large neuritic field neurons and (3) old control neurons wit h large neuritic fields.