PROLIFERATION AND PHENOTYPE REGULATION IN THE SUBVENTRICULAR ZONE DURING EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS - IN-VIVO EVIDENCE OF A ROLE FOR NERVE GROWTH-FACTOR

Proliferating cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of adult rat brai n could provide a source of cells for repair attempts during degenerat ive diseases. However, very few reports dealt with the spontaneous reg ulation of this cell population during experimental conditions. In thi s paper, we describe an increase in the proliferation activity in the SVZ during experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, a demyelinating di sease widely used as an experimental model for human multiple sclerosi s. Moreover, p75(LNGFR)-immunoreactive elements in the SVZ were larger in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis compared with control grou ps, and they also showed multiple and branched elongations. Finally, a selective uptake of I-125-nerve growth factor was observed in the SVZ in neonatal rats, and positive elements migrated in the corpus callos um within a few days. These data indicate that fell populations in the SVZ are regulated during inflammatory conditions and degenerative dis eases involving oligodendrocytes and neurotrophins, including nerve gr owth factor, could participate in these phenomena.