Limits to the capacity of transplants of olfactory glia to promote axonal regrowth in the CNS

Olfactory bulb ensheathing cell (OBEC) transplants promoted axonal regenera tion in the spinal cord dorsal root entry zone and in the corticospinal tra ct. However, OBECs failed to promote abducens internuclear neuron axon rege neration when transplanted at the site of nerve fibre transection. In exper iments performed in both cats and rats, OBECs survived for up to 2 months, lining themselves up along the portion of the regrowing axons proximal to t he interneuron cell body. However, OBECs migrated preferentially towards ab ducens somata, in the direction opposite to the oculomotor nucleus target. OBECs seem to promote nerve fibre regeneration only where preferred directi on of glial migration coincides with the direction of axonal growth towards its target. NeuroReport 11:467-471. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins .