| This thesis assessed the suitability of unilateral, electrolytic lesions as a model of spinal cord damage and repair in the adult rat. This type of lesion resulted acutely in localized damage in the upper motor neuron at the L2-L3 level of the spinal cord. Minimal acute damage to ascending sensory pathways was indicated by preserved somatosensory evoked potentials elicited by stimulation of the tibial nerve.; Saline buffer, liquid collagen solution, foetal spinal cord cells from 14 day old rat embryos, and a mixture of collagen and E 14 foetal spinal cord cells were injected into the lesion cavity.; There was no significant performance deficit on the inclined plane test in any of the lesioned groups when compared to unoperated animals. The tibialis muscles from all groups were of normal weight, indicating that the lower motor neurons were not significantly damaged by the lesions used. There was, however, a marked decrease in the number of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) reactive astrocytes in the lesioned animals when compared to unlesioned controls. Moreover, this reduction of GFAP-like immunoreactivity was not prevented by implants of foetal neurons, collagen or foetal neurons suspended in collagen. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
