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Sharma NS, Karan A, Lee D, Yan Z, Xie J. Advances in Modeling Alzheimer's Disease In Vitro. ADVANCED NANOBIOMED RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/anbr.202100097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Navatha Shree Sharma
- Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha NE 68198 USA
| | - Anik Karan
- Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha NE 68198 USA
| | - Donghee Lee
- Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha NE 68198 USA
| | - Zheng Yan
- Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Department of Biomedical Biological and Chemical Engineering University of Missouri Columbia MO 65211 USA
| | - Jingwei Xie
- Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha NE 68198 USA
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering College of Engineering University of Nebraska Lincoln Lincoln NE 68588 USA
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2
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Slice Culture Modeling of CNS Viral Infection. Methods Mol Biol 2021. [PMID: 34033080 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1437-2_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
The complexity of the central nervous system (CNS) is not recapitulated in cell culture models. Thin slicing and subsequent culture of CNS tissue has become a valued means to study neuronal and glial biology within the context of the physiologically relevant tissue milieu. Modern membrane-interface slice culturing methodology allows for straightforward access to both CNS tissue and feeding medium, enabling experimental manipulations and analyses that would otherwise be impossible in vivo. CNS slices can be successfully maintained in culture for up to several weeks for investigation of evolving pathology and long-term intervention in models of chronic neurologic disease.Herein, membrane-interface slice culture models for studying viral encephalitis and myelitis are detailed, with emphasis on the use of these models for investigation of pathogenesis and evaluation of novel treatment strategies. We describe techniques to (1) generate brain and spinal cord slices from rodent donors, (2) virally infect slices, (3) monitor viral replication, (4) assess virally induced injury/apoptosis, (5) characterize "CNS-specific" cytokine production, and, (6) treat slices with cytokines/pharmaceuticals. Although our focus is on CNS viral infection, we anticipate that the described methods can be adapted to address a wide range of investigations within the fields of neuropathology, neuroimmunology, and neuropharmacology.
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AlaylioĞlu M, Dursun E, Yilmazer S, Ak DG. A Bridge Between in vitro and in vivo Studies in Neuroscience: Organotypic Brain Slice Cultures. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 57:333-337. [PMID: 33354128 DOI: 10.29399/npa.26139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In vitro and in vivo models are efficiently used systems in neuroscience research to study the brain in normal or pathological conditions. There are many advantages to these systems, yet they also have significant limitations. In vitro cell cultures offer the opportunity to investigate the cell basics or primary response of a cell population against any treatment. However, these models do not always predict in vivo behavior. In vivo animal studies constitute the most realistic platform for research and therapeutic approaches, yet they are laborious, open to secondary complications and painful or stressful for the animals from an ethical point of view. Organotypic brain slice cultures provide an in vivo-like environment since they maintain three-dimensional cytoarchitecture of the brain thus enable to study many cell types in one system and allow precise control of the microenvironment. In this review, we will focus on the history and key features of organotypic brain slice cultures as well as its preparation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merve AlaylioĞlu
- Brain and Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Laboratory, Department of Medical Biology, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Erdinç Dursun
- Brain and Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Laboratory, Department of Medical Biology, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul, Turkey.,Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Neurological Sciences, İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Selma Yilmazer
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, Altınbaş University, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Duygu Gezen Ak
- Brain and Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Laboratory, Department of Medical Biology, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul, Turkey
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Pasqualini C, Kozaki T, Bruschi M, Nguyen THH, Minard-Colin V, Castel D, Grill J, Ginhoux F. Modeling the Interaction between the Microenvironment and Tumor Cells in Brain Tumors. Neuron 2020; 108:1025-1044. [PMID: 33065047 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite considerable recent advances in understanding and treating many other cancers, malignant brain tumors remain associated with low survival or severe long-term sequelae. Limited progress, including development of immunotherapies, relates in part to difficulties in accurately reproducing brain microenvironment with current preclinical models. The cellular interactions among resident microglia, recruited tumor-associated macrophages, stromal cells, glial cells, neurons, and cancer cells and how they affect tumor growth or behavior are emerging, yet many questions remain. The role of the blood-brain barrier, extracellular matrix components, and heterogeneity among tumor types and within different regions of a single tumor further complicate the matter. Here, we focus on brain microenvironment features impacted by tumor biology. We also discuss limits of current preclinical models and how complementary models, such as humanized animals and organoids, will allow deeper mechanistic insights on cancer biology, allowing for more efficient testing of therapeutic strategies, including immunotherapy, for brain cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Pasqualini
- Children and Adolescent Oncology Department, Gustave Roussy, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France
| | - Tatsuya Kozaki
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Marco Bruschi
- Genomics & Oncogenesis of Pediatric Brain Tumors, INSERM U981, Gustave Roussy, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France
| | - Thi Hai Hoa Nguyen
- Genomics & Oncogenesis of Pediatric Brain Tumors, INSERM U981, Gustave Roussy, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France
| | - Véronique Minard-Colin
- Children and Adolescent Oncology Department, Gustave Roussy, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France; INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France
| | - David Castel
- Genomics & Oncogenesis of Pediatric Brain Tumors, INSERM U981, Gustave Roussy, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France
| | - Jacques Grill
- Children and Adolescent Oncology Department, Gustave Roussy, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France; Genomics & Oncogenesis of Pediatric Brain Tumors, INSERM U981, Gustave Roussy, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France.
| | - Florent Ginhoux
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore; Shanghai Institute of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Translational Immunology Institute, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore.
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Slanzi A, Iannoto G, Rossi B, Zenaro E, Constantin G. In vitro Models of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:328. [PMID: 32528949 PMCID: PMC7247860 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are progressive degenerative conditions characterized by the functional deterioration and ultimate loss of neurons. These incurable and debilitating diseases affect millions of people worldwide, and therefore represent a major global health challenge with severe implications for individuals and society. Recently, several neuroprotective drugs have failed in human clinical trials despite promising pre-clinical data, suggesting that conventional cell cultures and animal models cannot precisely replicate human pathophysiology. To bridge the gap between animal and human studies, three-dimensional cell culture models have been developed from human or animal cells, allowing the effects of new therapies to be predicted more accurately by closely replicating some aspects of the brain environment, mimicking neuronal and glial cell interactions, and incorporating the effects of blood flow. In this review, we discuss the relative merits of different cerebral models, from traditional cell cultures to the latest high-throughput three-dimensional systems. We discuss their advantages and disadvantages as well as their potential to investigate the complex mechanisms of human neurodegenerative diseases. We focus on in vitro models of the most frequent age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and prion disease, and on multiple sclerosis, a chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease affecting young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Slanzi
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giulia Iannoto
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Barbara Rossi
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Elena Zenaro
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Gabriela Constantin
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Center for Biomedical Computing (CBMC), University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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Understanding the Effects of General Anesthetics on Cortical Network Activity Using Ex Vivo Preparations. Anesthesiology 2020; 130:1049-1063. [PMID: 30694851 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000002554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
General anesthetics have been used to ablate consciousness during surgery for more than 150 yr. Despite significant advances in our understanding of their molecular-level pharmacologic effects, comparatively little is known about how anesthetics alter brain dynamics to cause unconsciousness. Consequently, while anesthesia practice is now routine and safe, there are many vagaries that remain unexplained. In this paper, the authors review the evidence that cortical network activity is particularly sensitive to general anesthetics, and suggest that disruption to communication in, and/or among, cortical brain regions is a common mechanism of anesthesia that ultimately produces loss of consciousness. The authors review data from acute brain slices and organotypic cultures showing that anesthetics with differing molecular mechanisms of action share in common the ability to impair neurophysiologic communication. While many questions remain, together, ex vivo and in vivo investigations suggest that a unified understanding of both clinical anesthesia and the neural basis of consciousness is attainable.
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Hong YJ, Do JT. Neural Lineage Differentiation From Pluripotent Stem Cells to Mimic Human Brain Tissues. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2019; 7:400. [PMID: 31867324 PMCID: PMC6908493 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) research have turned limitations of prior and current research into possibilities. iPSCs can differentiate into the desired cell types, are easier to obtain than embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and more importantly, in case they are to be used in research on diseases, they can be obtained directly from the patient. With these advantages, differentiation of iPSCs into various cell types has been conducted in the fields of basic development, cell physiology, and cell therapy research. Differentiation of stem cells into nervous cells has been prevalent among all cell types studied. Starting with the monolayer 2D differentiation method where cells were attached to a dish, substantial efforts have been made to better mimic the in vivo environment and produce cells grown in vitro that closely resemble in vivo state cells. Having surpassed the stage of 3D differentiation, we have now reached the stage of creating tissues called organoids that resemble organs, rather than growing simple cells. In this review, we focus on the central nervous system (CNS) and describe the challenges faced in 2D and 3D differentiation research studies and the processes of overcoming them. We also discuss current studies and future perspectives on brain organoid researches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yean Ju Hong
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, KU Institute of Science and Technology, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jeong Tae Do
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, KU Institute of Science and Technology, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
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Pacitti D, Privolizzi R, Bax BE. Organs to Cells and Cells to Organoids: The Evolution of in vitro Central Nervous System Modelling. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:129. [PMID: 31024259 PMCID: PMC6465581 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
With 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses, the human brain is not just the most complex organ in the human body, but has also been described as "the most complex thing in the universe." The limited availability of human living brain tissue for the study of neurogenesis, neural processes and neurological disorders has resulted in more than a century-long strive from researchers worldwide to model the central nervous system (CNS) and dissect both its striking physiology and enigmatic pathophysiology. The invaluable knowledge gained with the use of animal models and post mortem human tissue remains limited to cross-species similarities and structural features, respectively. The advent of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) and 3-D organoid technologies has revolutionised the approach to the study of human brain and CNS in vitro, presenting great potential for disease modelling and translational adoption in drug screening and regenerative medicine, also contributing beneficially to clinical research. We have surveyed more than 100 years of research in CNS modelling and provide in this review an historical excursus of its evolution, from early neural tissue explants and organotypic cultures, to 2-D patient-derived cell monolayers, to the latest development of 3-D cerebral organoids. We have generated a comprehensive summary of CNS modelling techniques and approaches, protocol refinements throughout the course of decades and developments in the study of specific neuropathologies. Current limitations and caveats such as clonal variation, developmental stage, validation of pluripotency and chromosomal stability, functional assessment, reproducibility, accuracy and scalability of these models are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Pacitti
- Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George’s, University of London, London, United Kingdom
- College of Medicine and Health, St Luke’s Campus, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Riccardo Privolizzi
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bridget E. Bax
- Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George’s, University of London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Bridget E. Bax,
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Zottoli SJ, Seyfarth EA. Mary Jane Hogue (1883-1962): A pioneer in human brain tissue culture. JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE NEUROSCIENCES 2018; 27:333-354. [PMID: 29768082 DOI: 10.1080/0964704x.2018.1468967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The ability to maintain human brain explants in tissue culture was a critical step in the use of these cells for the study of central nervous system disorders. Ross G. Harrison (1870-1959) was the first to successfully maintain frog medullary tissue in culture in 1907, but it took another 38 years before successful culture of human brain tissue was accomplished. One of the pioneers in this achievement was Mary Jane Hogue (1883-1962). Hogue was born into a Quaker family in 1883 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and received her undergraduate degree from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. Research with the developmental biologist Theodor Boveri (1862-1915) in Würzburg, Germany, resulted in her Ph.D. (1909). Hogue transitioned from studying protozoa to the culture of human brain tissue in the 1940s and 1950s, when she was one of the first to culture cells from human fetal, infant, and adult brain explants. We review Hogue's pioneering contributions to the study of human brain cells in culture, her putative identification of progenitor neuroblast and/or glioblast cells, and her use of the cultures to study the cytopathogenic effects of poliovirus. We also put Hogue's work in perspective by discussing how other women pioneers in tissue culture influenced Hogue and her research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Zottoli
- a Department of Biology , Williams College , Williamstown , Massachusetts , USA
- b Marine Biological Laboratory , Woods Hole , Massachusetts , USA
| | - Ernst-August Seyfarth
- b Marine Biological Laboratory , Woods Hole , Massachusetts , USA
- c Institut für Zellbiologie und Neurowissenschaft der Goethe-Universität , Frankfurt am Main , Germany
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Marques-Torrejon MA, Gangoso E, Pollard SM. Modelling glioblastoma tumour-host cell interactions using adult brain organotypic slice co-culture. Dis Model Mech 2018; 11:dmm031435. [PMID: 29196443 PMCID: PMC5894940 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.031435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive incurable brain cancer. The cells that fuel the growth of tumours resemble neural stem cells found in the developing and adult mammalian forebrain. These are referred to as glioma stem cells (GSCs). Similar to neural stem cells, GSCs exhibit a variety of phenotypic states: dormant, quiescent, proliferative and differentiating. How environmental cues within the brain influence these distinct states is not well understood. Laboratory models of GBM can be generated using either genetically engineered mouse models, or via intracranial transplantation of cultured tumour initiating cells (mouse or human). Unfortunately, these approaches are expensive, time-consuming, low-throughput and ill-suited for monitoring live cell behaviours. Here, we explored whole adult brain coronal organotypic slices as an alternative model. Mouse adult brain slices remain viable in a serum-free basal medium for several weeks. GSCs can be easily microinjected into specific anatomical sites ex vivo, and we demonstrate distinct responses of engrafted GSCs to diverse microenvironments in the brain tissue. Within the subependymal zone - one of the adult neural stem cell niches - injected tumour cells could effectively engraft and respond to endothelial niche signals. Tumour-transplanted slices were treated with the antimitotic drug temozolomide as proof of principle of the utility in modelling responses to existing treatments. Engraftment of mouse or human GSCs onto whole brain coronal organotypic brain slices therefore provides a simplified, yet flexible, experimental model. This will help to increase the precision and throughput of modelling GSC-host brain interactions and complements ongoing in vivo studies. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Angeles Marques-Torrejon
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Ester Gangoso
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Steven M Pollard
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
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Threshold-based segmentation of fluorescent and chromogenic images of microglia, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in FIJI. J Neurosci Methods 2018; 295:87-103. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2017.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Revised: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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Abstract
Recent breakthroughs in pluripotent stem cell technologies have enabled a new class of in vitro systems for functional modeling of human brain development. These advances, in combination with improvements in neural differentiation methods, allow the generation of in vitro systems that reproduce many in vivo features of the brain with remarkable similarity. Here, we describe advances in the development of these methods, focusing on neural rosette and organoid approaches, and compare their relative capabilities and limitations. We also discuss current technical hurdles for recreating the cell-type complexity and spatial architecture of the brain in culture and offer potential solutions.
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Humpel C. Organotypic brain slice cultures: A review. Neuroscience 2015; 305:86-98. [PMID: 26254240 PMCID: PMC4699268 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.07.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 270] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Revised: 07/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
In vitro cell cultures are an important tool for obtaining insights into cellular processes in an isolated system and a supplement to in vivo animal experiments. While primary dissociated cultures permit a single homogeneous cell population to be studied, there is a clear need to explore the function of brain cells in a three-dimensional system where the main architecture of the cells is preserved. Thus, organotypic brain slice cultures have proven to be very useful in investigating cellular and molecular processes of the brain in vitro. This review summarizes (1) the historical development of organotypic brain slices focusing on the membrane technology, (2) methodological aspects regarding culturing procedures, age of donors or media, (3) whether the cholinergic neurons serve as a model of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease, (4) or the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons as a model of Parkinson’s disease and (5) how the vascular network can be studied, especially with regard to a synthetic blood–brain barrier. This review will also highlight some limits of the model and give an outlook on future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Humpel
- Laboratory of Psychiatry and Experimental Alzheimer's Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
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Eugène E, Cluzeaud F, Cifuentes-Diaz C, Fricker D, Le Duigou C, Clemenceau S, Baulac M, Poncer JC, Miles R. An organotypic brain slice preparation from adult patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 235:234-44. [PMID: 25064188 PMCID: PMC4426207 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2014] [Revised: 07/13/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A long-term in vitro preparation of diseased brain tissue would facilitate work on human pathologies. Organotypic tissue cultures retain an appropriate neuronal form, spatial arrangement, connectivity and electrical activity over several weeks. However, they are typically prepared with tissue from immature animals. In work using tissue from adult animals or humans, survival times longer than a few days have not been reported and it is not clear that pathological neuronal activities are retained. NEW METHOD We modified tissue preparation procedures and used a defined culture medium to make organotypic cultures of temporal lobe tissue obtained after operations on adult patients with pharmaco-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsies. RESULTS Organototypic culture preparation and maintenance techniques were judged on criteria of morphology and the generation of epileptiform activities. Short-duration (30-100 ms) interictal-like population activities were initiated spontaneously in either the subiculum, dentate gyrus or the CA2/CA3 region, but not the cortex, for up to 3-4 weeks in culture. Ictal-like discharges, of duration greater than 10s, were induced by convulsants. Epileptiform activities were modulated by both glutamatergic and GABAergic receptor antagonists. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Our methods now permit the maintenance in organotypic culture of epileptic adult human tissue, generating appropriate epileptiform activity over 3-4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS We have shown that characteristic morphology and pathological activities are maintained in organotypic cultures of adult human tissue. These cultures should permit studies on the effects of prolonged drug treatments and long-term procedures such as viral transduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Eugène
- Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris6 UMR S1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France; INSERM, UMR-839, Paris 75005, France; UPMC Univ Paris, UMR-839, Paris 75005, France; Institut du Fer a Moulin, Paris 75005 France.
| | - Françoise Cluzeaud
- Service Microscopie, Centre de recherche biomedicale, CHU Bichat, Université Paris Diderot, 16 rue Henri Huchard, Paris 75870, France
| | - Carmen Cifuentes-Diaz
- INSERM, UMR-839, Paris 75005, France; UPMC Univ Paris, UMR-839, Paris 75005, France; Institut du Fer a Moulin, Paris 75005 France
| | - Desdemona Fricker
- Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris6 UMR S1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France
| | - Caroline Le Duigou
- Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris6 UMR S1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France
| | - Stephane Clemenceau
- Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris6 UMR S1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France
| | - Michel Baulac
- Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris6 UMR S1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Poncer
- INSERM, UMR-839, Paris 75005, France; UPMC Univ Paris, UMR-839, Paris 75005, France; Institut du Fer a Moulin, Paris 75005 France
| | - Richard Miles
- Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris6 UMR S1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France.
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Abstract
The complexity of the central nervous system (CNS) is not recapitulated in cell culture models. Thin slicing and subsequent culture of CNS tissue has become a valued means to study neuronal and glial biology within the context of the physiologically relevant tissue milieu. Modern membrane-interface slice culturing methodology allows straightforward access to both CNS tissue and feeding medium, enabling experimental manipulations and analyses that would otherwise be impossible in vivo. CNS slices can be successfully maintained in culture for up to several weeks for investigation of evolving pathology and long-term intervention in models of chronic neurologic disease.Herein, membrane-interface slice culture models for studying viral encephalitis and myelitis are detailed, with emphasis on the use of these models for investigation of pathogenesis and evaluation of novel treatment strategies. We describe techniques to (1) generate brain and spinal cord slices from rodent donors, (2) virally infect slices, (3) assess virally induced injury/apoptosis, (4) characterize "CNS-specific" cytokine production, and (5) treat slices with cytokines/pharmaceuticals. Although our focus is on CNS viral infection, we anticipate that the described methods can be adapted to address a wide range of investigations within the fields of neuropathology, neuroimmunology, and neuropharmacology.
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Model PG, Bornstein MB, Crain SM, Pappas GD. An electron microscopic study of the development of synapses in cultured fetal mouse cerebrum continuously exposed to xylocaine. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 49:362-71. [PMID: 19866764 PMCID: PMC2108344 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.49.2.362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Explants of fetal mouse cerebral cortex, continuously exposed to the local anesthetic Xylocaine from the time of explantation to the time of fixation, were examined in the electron microscope to determine whether morphologically normal synapses and potentially functional interneuronal synaptic networks can form in the absence of electrical impulse activity. Morphological differentiation of complex synaptic networks proceeds normally, and the drug does not alter the fine structure of the formed synapses. These observations are consonant with the electrophysiological data which show that the potential for complex bioelectric activity can develop in the absence of its expression. The development and maturation of functional synaptic networks, then, is not contingent upon prior electrical impulse activity. These data support the concept that organized neuronal assemblies are formed in forward reference to their ultimate function.
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Affiliation(s)
- P G Model
- Departments of Anatomy and Physiology, and the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York 10461
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Dunn GA. Extension of nerve fibres, their mutual interaction and direction of growth in tissue culture. CIBA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM 2008; 14:211-32. [PMID: 4130534 DOI: 10.1002/9780470719978.ch10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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18
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Formation of Functional Interneuronal Connexions Between Explants of Various Mammalian Central, Nervous Tissues During Development in Vitrof. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1002/9780470719633.ch3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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19
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Homeostasis of neuronal avalanches during postnatal cortex development in vitro. J Neurosci Methods 2007; 169:405-16. [PMID: 18082894 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2007.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2007] [Revised: 10/24/2007] [Accepted: 10/28/2007] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Cortical networks in vivo and in vitro are spontaneously active in the absence of inputs, generating highly variable bursts of neuronal activity separated by up to seconds of quiescence. Previous measurements in adult rat cortex revealed an intriguing underlying organization of these dynamics, termed neuronal avalanches, which is indicative of a critical network state. Here we demonstrate that neuronal avalanches persist throughout development in cortical slice cultures from newborn rats. More specifically, we find that in spite of large variations of average rate in activity, spontaneous bursts occur with power-law distributed sizes (exponent -1.5) and a critical branching parameter close to 1. Our findings suggest that cortical networks homeostatically regulate a critical state during postnatal maturation.
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Beggs JM, Plenz D. Neuronal avalanches are diverse and precise activity patterns that are stable for many hours in cortical slice cultures. J Neurosci 2004; 24:5216-29. [PMID: 15175392 PMCID: PMC6729198 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0540-04.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 335] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2004] [Revised: 04/29/2004] [Accepted: 04/29/2004] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A major goal of neuroscience is to elucidate mechanisms of cortical information processing and storage. Previous work from our laboratory (Beggs and Plenz, 2003) revealed that propagation of local field potentials (LFPs) in cortical circuits could be described by the same equations that govern avalanches. Whereas modeling studies suggested that these "neuronal avalanches" were optimal for information transmission, it was not clear what role they could play in information storage. Work from numerous other laboratories has shown that cortical structures can generate reproducible spatiotemporal patterns of activity that could be used as a substrate for memory. Here, we show that although neuronal avalanches lasted only a few milliseconds, their spatiotemporal patterns were also stable and significantly repeatable even many hours later. To investigate these issues, we cultured coronal slices of rat cortex for 4 weeks on 60-channel microelectrode arrays and recorded spontaneous extracellular LFPs continuously for 10 hr. Using correlation-based clustering and a global contrast function, we found that each cortical culture spontaneously produced 4736 +/- 2769 (mean +/- SD) neuronal avalanches per hour that clustered into 30 +/- 14 statistically significant families of spatiotemporal patterns. In 10 hr of recording, over 98% of the mutual information shared by these avalanche patterns were retained. Additionally, jittering analysis revealed that the correlations between avalanches were temporally precise to within +/-4 msec. The long-term stability, diversity, and temporal precision of these avalanches indicate that they fulfill many of the requirements expected of a substrate for memory and suggest that they play a central role in both information transmission and storage within cortical networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Beggs
- Unit of Neural Network Physiology, Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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21
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Abstract
Networks of living neurons exhibit diverse patterns of activity, including oscillations, synchrony, and waves. Recent work in physics has shown yet another mode of activity in systems composed of many nonlinear units interacting locally. For example, avalanches, earthquakes, and forest fires all propagate in systems organized into a critical state in which event sizes show no characteristic scale and are described by power laws. We hypothesized that a similar mode of activity with complex emergent properties could exist in networks of cortical neurons. We investigated this issue in mature organotypic cultures and acute slices of rat cortex by recording spontaneous local field potentials continuously using a 60 channel multielectrode array. Here, we show that propagation of spontaneous activity in cortical networks is described by equations that govern avalanches. As predicted by theory for a critical branching process, the propagation obeys a power law with an exponent of -3/2 for event sizes, with a branching parameter close to the critical value of 1. Simulations show that a branching parameter at this value optimizes information transmission in feedforward networks, while preventing runaway network excitation. Our findings suggest that "neuronal avalanches" may be a generic property of cortical networks, and represent a mode of activity that differs profoundly from oscillatory, synchronized, or wave-like network states. In the critical state, the network may satisfy the competing demands of information transmission and network stability.
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22
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Echevarría D, Albus K. Activity-dependent development of spontaneous bioelectric activity in organotypic cultures of rat occipital cortex. BRAIN RESEARCH. DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH 2000; 123:151-64. [PMID: 11042344 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-3806(00)00089-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The development of spontaneous bioelectric activity (SBA) in organotypic tissue cultures (OTCs) from rat occipital cortex was studied by means of extracellular recording techniques in OTCs grown normally for 6-51 days in vitro (DIV), and in OTCs in which SBA had been silenced from DIV 4 on for 2 to 3 weeks by elevating the Mg(2+) levels in the growth medium. The proportions of spontaneously active neurones increased from about 25% at 6-14 DIV to more than 80% beyond the third week in vitro. Mature neurones discharged at shorter intervals and more vigorously than immature neurones; the developmental increase in firing rate was not significant, however. In OTCs 6-14 DIV the majority of spontaneously active neurones fired sluggishly in a regular manner. The remaining neurones fired action potentials in the form of discrete bursts resembling interictal activity in vivo. The proportions of these neurones increased from about 40% at 6-14 DIV to more than 80% beyond the third week in vitro. During development in vitro the mean burst duration increased from 3.5 s to about 8 s whereas the mean burst rate (between 0.7-1 bursts/min) remained constant. Activity-deprived neurons had low firing rates and fired action potentials in the form of discrete bursts with a mean burst rate of 0.4/min. The proportions of spontaneously active neurons, the variability of neuronal firing and the viability of the explants either were not altered by the activity blockade or had recovered to control values after 5-6 days in normal growth medium. We conclude that in OTCs of rat neocortex the absence of SBA during development in vitro delays the maturation of excitatory mechanisms responsible for the developmental increase in firing intensity. The development of burst firing modes is less affected by activity blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Echevarría
- Department of Neurobiology/192, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, P.O. Box 2841, D-37070 Göttingen, Germany
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23
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Crain SM. Development of specific synaptic network functions in organotypic central nervous system (CNS) cultures: implications for transplantation of CNS neural cells in vivo. Methods 1998; 16:228-38. [PMID: 10071063 DOI: 10.1006/meth.1998.0681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This article provides a broad overview of the significant roles that morphophysiologic analyses of organotypic cultures of neural tissues explanted in vitro-initiated during the 1950s-have played in stimulating the more recent development of techniques for transplantation of neural cells and tissues into specific regions of the central nervous system (CNS) in vivo. The demonstrations by Crain and co-workers in the 1950s and 1960s that fetal rodent and human CNS neurons can continue to develop a remarkable degree of mature structure and function during many months of complete isolation in culture provided crucial evidence that development of many organotypic properties of nerve cells is regulated by epigenetic factors that ensure rather stereotyped expression despite wide variations in environmental conditions. These in vitro studies strongly suggested that fetal neural cells should, indeed, be capable of even more highly organotypic development after transplantation in vivo, as has been elegantly demonstrated by many of the successful CNS transplantation studies reviewed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Crain
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA
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24
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Parsley CP, Cheng KW, Song L, Hochman S. Thin slice CNS explants maintained on collagen-coated culture dishes. J Neurosci Methods 1998; 80:65-74. [PMID: 9606051 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-0270(97)00195-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We have developed a simple and inexpensive procedure for explant culture termed 'thin slice culture' that relies on the use of thin sections of CNS tissue ( < or = 150 microm) which adhere directly to the bottom of collagen-coated culture dishes (or glass coverslips within culture dishes). Microscopic visualization and tissue oxygenation are enhanced due to the reduced slice thickness, and the reduced volumes of incubation media required lessen the amount of expensive agents used (e.g. growth factors). We show that thin slice cultures of spinal cord, brainstem and hippocampus remain viable for at least several weeks and are suitable for many experimental approaches including time-dependent studies, immunocytochemistry and electrophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- C P Parsley
- Department of Physiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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25
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Launey T, Eustache I, Ferrand N, Guéritaud JP. Synaptic inputs on rat brainstem motoneurones in organotypic slice culture. Neuroreport 1997; 8:3287-91. [PMID: 9351658 DOI: 10.1097/00001756-199710200-00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
To study the formation of target specific afferents on brain stem motoneurones of the rat, we used an organotypic co-culture of embryonic rat (E18) brain stem explants containing the facial or hypoglossal motor nuclei together with a tongue explant. The brain stem explants also contained known dorsal premotor structures such as lateral reticular nuclei and vestibular or spinal trigeminal nuclei. In cultures maintained in vitro for over 3 weeks, silver impregnation studies identified neurones in the dorsal sensory structures with axons arborizing within the motor nucleus. A double fluorescent labelling procedure demonstrated that axons originating from dorsal sensory regions come in close contact with identified motoneurones. Electrical stimulation of neurones in the dorsal regions induced monosynaptic and polysynaptic EPSPs and spikes in identified motoneurones together with muscle contraction. This work demonstrates that premotor structures in slice cultures develop organotypic functional synaptic connections with embryonic brain stem motoneurones.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Launey
- Unité de Neurocybernétique cellulaire, CNRS, UPR 9041, Marseille, France
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26
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Katsuki M, Atsuta Y, Hirayama T. Reinnervation of denervated muscle by transplantation of fetal spinal cord to transected sciatic nerve in the rat. Brain Res 1997; 771:31-6. [PMID: 9383005 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(97)00675-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
When motor neurons in the spinal cord are destroyed, regeneration of motor axons and muscle reinnervation cannot be expected. We attempted reinnervation of the denervated muscle, i.e. motor unit reconstruction, using transplantation of the fetal spinal cord to the peripheral nerve. The sciatic nerve of an adult rat was resected for 20 mm, and a cavity was prepared using an autologous femoral vein at the distal stump of the nerve. The fetal spinal cord was then transplanted into the venous cavity. After 3-6 months, no voluntary muscle contraction was observed due to the absence of communication with the central nervous system. However, reinnervation of the muscles via the sciatic nerve by the transplanted spinal neurons was demonstrated electrophysiologically and histochemically. This suggested that a motor unit can be reconstructed by fetal spinal cord transplantation even if the original motor neurons in the spinal cord are not available.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Axons/physiology
- Choline O-Acetyltransferase/analysis
- Electric Stimulation
- Femoral Vein/physiology
- Femoral Vein/transplantation
- Fetal Tissue Transplantation/physiology
- Motor Neurons/physiology
- Muscle Denervation
- Muscle Fibers, Skeletal/cytology
- Muscle Fibers, Skeletal/physiology
- Muscle, Skeletal/cytology
- Muscle, Skeletal/innervation
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/physiology
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/transplantation
- Nerve Regeneration
- Neuromuscular Junction/physiology
- Peroneal Nerve/physiology
- Rats
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Sciatic Nerve/physiology
- Spinal Cord/physiology
- Spinal Cord/transplantation
- Tibial Nerve/physiology
- Transplantation, Autologous
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Affiliation(s)
- M Katsuki
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Asahikawa Medical College, Nishikagura, Japan
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27
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Crain SM, Shen KF. Modulatory effects of Gs-coupled excitatory opioid receptor functions on opioid analgesia, tolerance, and dependence. Neurochem Res 1996; 21:1347-51. [PMID: 8947924 DOI: 10.1007/bf02532375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Electrophysiologic studies of opioid effects on nociceptive types of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in organotypic cultures have shown that morphine and most mu, delta, and kappa opioid agonists can elicit bimodal excitatory as well as inhibitory modulation of the action potential duration (APD) of these cells. Excitatory opioid effects have been shown to be mediated by opioid receptors that are coupled via Gs to cyclic AMP-dependent ionic conductances that prolong the APD, whereas inhibitory opioid effects are mediated by opioid receptors coupled via Gi/Go to ionic conductances that shorten the APD. Selective blockade of excitatory opioid receptor functions by low (ca. pM) concentrations of naloxone, naltrexone, etorphine and other specific agents markedly increases the inhibitory potency of morphine or other bimodally acting agonists and attenuates development of tolerance/dependence. These in vitro studies have been confirmed by tail-flick assays showing that acute co-treatment of mice with morphine plus ultra-low-dose naltrexone or etorphine remarkably enhances the antinociceptive potency of morphine whereas chronic co-treatment attenuates development of tolerance and naloxone-precipitated withdrawal-jumping symptoms.
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MESH Headings
- Analgesics, Opioid/pharmacology
- Animals
- Drug Tolerance
- Electrophysiology
- GTP-Binding Proteins/physiology
- Ganglia, Spinal/physiology
- Humans
- Mice
- Morphine/pharmacology
- Morphine Dependence/physiopathology
- Neurons/drug effects
- Neurons/physiology
- Neurons, Afferent/drug effects
- Neurons, Afferent/physiology
- Pain
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/physiology
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/physiology
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/physiology
- Spinal Cord/drug effects
- Spinal Cord/physiology
- Substance-Related Disorders/physiopathology
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Crain
- Dept. of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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28
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Plenz D, Aertsen A. Neural dynamics in cortex-striatum co-cultures--II. Spatiotemporal characteristics of neuronal activity. Neuroscience 1996; 70:893-924. [PMID: 8848173 DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(95)00405-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Neural dynamics in organotypic cortex-striatum co-cultures grown for three to six weeks under conditions of dopamine deficiency are described. Single neuron activities were recorded intra- and extracellularly, and spatiotemporal spreading of population activity was mapped using voltage-sensitive dyes. The temporal properties of spike firing were characterized by interspike interval histograms, autocorrelation and crosscorrelation. Cortical pyramidal neurons (n = 40) showed irregular firing with a weak tendency to burst or to oscillate. Crosscorrelations revealed strong near-coincident firing and synaptic interactions. Disinhibition was a notable feature in a strongly firing cortical interneuron. Cortical activity spread in the co-culture, thus inducing an overall, homogeneous depolarization in the striatal part. Striatal cells were divided into principal cells and type I and II secondary cells. Principal cells (n = 40) were similar to those reported previously in vivo. Spiking activity ranged from irregular spiking at very low rates to episodic bursting, with an average burst duration of 1 s. Interspike intervals were single-peaked. Intracellular recordings revealed characteristic, long-lasting subthreshold depolarizations ("enabled state") that were shortened by local muscarinic receptor blockade. During prolonged time periods in the "enabled state", locally applied bicuculline induced strong firing in most principal neurons. Striatal secondary type I neurons (n = 25) showed high spiking rates, single- and double-peaked interval histograms and low-threshold, short-lasting stereotyped bursting activity and occasional rhythmic bursting. The firing of these neurons was increased by bicuculline. Crosscorrelations showed synchronization of these cells with principal cell activity. Secondary type II neurons (n = 15) revealed tonic, irregular firing patterns similar to cortical neurons, except with occasional firing in doublet spikes. We conclude that under conditions of dopamine deficiency in corticostriatal co-cultures (i) the cortex induces the "enabled" state and typical bursting mode in striatal principal neurons; (ii) principal neurons are strongly inhibited during the "enabled" state; (iii) muscarinic activity, presumably from tonically active striatal cholinergic interneurons, stabilizes the "enabled" state; (iv) striatal GABAergic interneurons receives synaptic inhibition and take part in synchronized activity among striatal principal cells. Our results favor the view of the striatum as a lateral inhibition network.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Plenz
- Max-Planck-Institut für biologische Kybernetik, Tübingen, Germany
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29
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Nehlig A, Pereira de Vasconcelos A. Glucose and ketone body utilization by the brain of neonatal rats. Prog Neurobiol 1993; 40:163-221. [PMID: 8430212 DOI: 10.1016/0301-0082(93)90022-k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 221] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- A Nehlig
- INSERM U 272, Pathologie et Biologie du Développement Humain, Université de Nancy I, France
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30
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Calvet MC, Drian MJ, Calvet J. Neuronal firing patterns of organotypic rat spinal cord cultures in normal and in ACTH/alpha-MSH(4-10) analog (BIM 22015)-supplemented medium. Brain Res 1992; 571:218-29. [PMID: 1319267 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(92)90658-v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The spontaneous and evoked electrical patterns of spinal cord explants from 13- to 14-day old rat fetuses grown from 2 to 8 weeks in vitro were compared when fed either with a standard or with an adrenocorticotropic hormone/alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (4-10) analog (BIM 22015)-supplemented medium. Standard and BIM 22015-treated cultures developed similar patterns of extracellularly recorded activity which consisted of mostly phasic but also tonic discharges. The standard cultures when treated by BIM 22015 in acute experiments (100 micrograms/ml) showed a decrease in their frequency of discharges which fired in a regular tonic pattern. These effects were neither age- nor dose-dependent but were increased in Ca2+ free medium. The ventral cord neurons chronically fed with BIM 22015 showed a strongly bursting pattern resembling strychnine-induced synchronized bursts. Both these effects, inhibitory (acute) and excitatory (chronic), of the BIM upon spinal cord cultured ventral horn neurons are discussed as possible calcium-dependent phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Calvet
- I.N.S.E.R.M. U336, U.S.T.L., Montpellier, France
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31
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Tada H, Hirayama T, Atsuta Y, Takemitsu Y. Experimental study of neurotization of denervated muscles with nerve-to-vein transfer. Microsurgery 1991; 12:396-401. [PMID: 1766355 DOI: 10.1002/micr.1920120606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Neurotization of denervated muscles was attempted by means of coaptation of peripheral nerves to the veins draining these muscles. In Sprague-Dawley rats, the lateral gastrocnemius branch from the tibial nerve was severed and its proximal end was sutured to the distal stump of the lateral gastrocnemius vein. In all animals nerve-muscle communication was confirmed electrophysiologically 2 and 6 months after the operation. However, histological examination revealed that the regenerated nerve fibers were not within the vessel lumen, but ran through the scar tissue in close proximity to the outside of the vessel, to enter the muscle. Control animals, in which only nerve resection was done, did not display nerve reinnervation. These results suggest that, although nerve fibers did not regenerate into the vein, the vein works well as a guide for regenerating nerve fibers to denervated muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Tada
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Asahikawa Medical College, Japan
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32
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Abstract
Organotypic slice cultures provide an excellent system for the analysis of study of the molecular mechanisms of this development necessitates the use of a chemically defined culture medium. We report here the development of a medium, EOL1 defined medium, designed specifically for this purpose. Cultures of both cerebral cortex and basal forebrain demonstrate that this defined medium allows a high degree of cytoarchitectural maintenance while promoting neural metabolism and process outgrowth.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Annis
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine 92717
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33
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Delfs J, Friend J, Ishimoto S, Saroff D. Ventral and dorsal horn acetylcholinesterase neurons are maintained in organotypic cultures of postnatal rat spinal cord explants. Brain Res 1989; 488:31-42. [PMID: 2743126 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(89)90690-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Transverse sections of postnatal rat spinal cord have been cultured using the organotypic roller tube method. These explant cultures retain identifiable anatomical landmarks, allow identification of individual neurons, can be maintained for up to 8 weeks, and undergo maturational changes in vitro. Putative ventral horn motoneurons were identified in these cultures by localization to ventral horn regions analogous to those of motoneurons in vivo and by staining for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactivity and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Morphometric studies of the photomicrographic areas of cell bodies of these ventral horn neurons in intact cultures show a range of sizes up to 1635 microns 2 with the average size being 245 +/- 7 microns 2 (n = 724) (average +/- S.E.M.). The size ranges are roughly comparable to cross-sectional areas determined previously for ventral horn motoneurons in vivo. Dorsal horn regions of these cultures also developed prominent AChE activity that was absent at explantation. Biochemical analysis of ChAT and AChE activity in pooled samples of whole cultures showed ChAT activity to be 0.48 +/- 0.08 (n = 7) mumol/min/g protein and AChE activity to be 12.2 +/- 2.0 (n = 7) mumol/min/g protein at 37 degrees C (averages +/- S.E.M.). These values are comparable to previously reported values for neonatal rat spinal cord in situ. Organotypic roller tube cultures of postnatal rat spinal cord provide an attractive system for studies of survival, morphology, growth and differentiation of mammalian ventral horn neurons in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Delfs
- Arnold Center, New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, MA 02215
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35
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Shea TB, Fischer I, Sapirstein V. Expression of a plasma membrane proteolipid during differentiation of neuronal and glial cells in primary culture. J Neurochem 1986; 47:697-706. [PMID: 3016181 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1986.tb00668.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Plasma membrane proteolipid protein (PM-PLP) synthesis was examined in embryonic rat neurons and neonatal rat glial cells during differentiation in culture. Glial cultures were treated with 1 mM N6, O2, dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (dbcAMP) following confluency to induce differentiation, which resulted in the elaboration of long cellular processes. However, no changes in the biosynthetic level of PM-PLP was observed during the differentiation of these cells. Neurons differentiated spontaneously in culture, forming cellular aggregates immediately following plating and elaborating a network of neurites over 7 days. The differentiation of neurons was accompanied by a seven-fold increase in PM-PLP synthesis with increases in biosynthetic increase in PM-PLP synthesis with increases in biosynthetic rate observed between days 1 and 3 and between days 3 and 7 in culture. Ultrastructural examination of neurons indicated that the Golgi apparatus was also developing during this period of time, with an increase in both the number of lamellae and generation of vesicles. The transport of PM-PLP to the plasma membrane was therefore examined in neurons at day 7 in culture by pulse labeling experiments with monensin and colchicine. Monensin (1 microM) was found to inhibit the appearance of radiolabeled PM-PLP in the plasma membrane by 63%, indicating that a functional Golgi apparatus is required for transport of PM-PLP to its target membrane. Colchicine (125 microM) also inhibited the appearance of newly synthesized PM-PLP in the plasma membrane by greater than 40%, suggesting that microtubules may also be required for PM-PLP transport to the plasma membrane.
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36
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Keller F, Lipp HP, Waser PG. The organization of intrinsic hippocampal connections in explants of rat hippocampus studied by topical application of HRP crystals. Brain Res 1986; 380:191-5. [PMID: 3756470 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(86)91448-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Hippocampal slices were taken from 7-day-old rats and maintained in vitro for 1-3 weeks. The organization of intrahippocampal connections in these explants was studied by placing onto the tissue small crystals of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) soaked with the detergent Nonidet. Antero- and retrograde transport of HRP was visualized by diaminobenzidine. The principal arrangement of intrinsic hippocampal connections closely resembles the in situ situation of the adult rat. The use of HRP crystals provides a fast and convenient tool for the study of connections in brain explants.
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37
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Fowler J, Bornstein MB, Crain SM. Sustained hyperexcitability elicited by repetitive electric stimulation of organotypic hippocampal explants. Brain Res 1986; 378:398-404. [PMID: 3730883 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(86)90945-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Sustained or complex evoked extracellular slow-wave field potentials were recorded in the CA3/2 areas of organotypic hippocampal explants following stimulation of the dentate area. After repetitive electric stimulation, these discharges became more complex and/or self-sustaining. Self-sustaining discharges continued to occur for the duration of the experiment (15 min-10 h). These slow-wave discharges were evoked (or occurred spontaneously) over a wide range of extracellular K+ concentrations (3-9 mM) without addition of pharmacologic inhibitory antagonists, whereas in some explants raising extracellular K+ from 5.9 to 8-9 mM resulted in spontaneous discharges. The observation that epileptiform discharges in hippocampal explants often occurred spontaneously, were elicited by repetitive electric stimulation, and were recorded at K+ levels which are generally ineffective in acute adult hippocampal slices, indicates that excitability of these CNS explants may be significantly increased following altered neuronal and synaptic development (and/or reorganization) under isolated conditions in culture.
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38
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Steinsvåg SK. Ultrastructural investigation of fetal rat brain hemisphere tissue in nonadherent stationary organ culture. EXPERIENTIA 1986; 42:798-803. [PMID: 3732488 DOI: 10.1007/bf01941528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Fetal rat brain fragments grown in nonadherent stationary organ culture for 50 days have been investigated ultrastructurally. Synaptogenesis and myelin formation occurred at the same time as the corresponding time-dependent events in the developing brain in vivo. Intermediate junctions were observed between cellular processes lining a central cavity in the fragments and later associated with astrocytes at the surface. Gap junctions and tight junctions were also present. In some fragments cilia were observed in the central cavity. Subependymal basement membrane labyrinths were observed in all fragments after 10 days in culture. The ultrastructural characteristics and the tissue-like structure in general were preserved for at least 50 days in this tissue culture system. The brain fragments may therefore be a valuable supplement to existing culture methods for nervous tissue.
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Fujiwara R, Mori T, Higuchi S, Ogita Y, Shimo-Oku M. The formation of neuromuscular junctions between extraocular muscles and brainstem neural tissue in vitro. Neuroophthalmology 1986. [DOI: 10.3109/01658108608997323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Laerum OD, Steinsvåg S, Bjerkvig R. Cell and tissue culture of the central nervous system: recent developments and current applications. Acta Neurol Scand 1985; 72:529-49. [PMID: 3913271 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1985.tb00913.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
A survey of methods for cell and tissue culture of the central nervous system (CNS) is given. This includes a brief historical outline and description of methods in current use. Recent methodological improvements are emphasized, and it is shown how these are applied in modern neurobiological research. Both monolayer cell cultures and three-dimensional organ culture systems are widely used, each having advantages and limitations. In recent years, there has been considerable improvement of culture for prolonged periods in chemically defined media. Brain tissue from a wide spectrum of species have been used, including different types of human brain cells which can be propagated for several months. At present, these culture systems are employed for dynamic studies of the developing, the adult and ageing brain. It is possible to select neurons and the different classes of glial cells for culture purposes. Cell culture of the CNS has given new insights into the biology of brain tumours. Culture systems for experimental tumour therapy in vitro are also available. Recently, it has been shown that organ cultures of brain tissue can be used as targets for invasive glioma cells, enabling a direct study of the interactions between tumour cells and normal tissue to take place.
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Abstract
In this overview attention is given to available markers and methods for characterizing cell elements in a culture system. Primary cultures from newborn rat cerebral hemispheres were grown for 14 days. The population of cells was dominated by astrocytic glial cells (60-70%), but cells with properties of macrophages, endothelial-like cells, mesenchymal-like cells, ependymal-like cells, and oligoblasts were also found. Neither mature neurons nor oligodendroglial cells were observed. The enrichment in astroglial-like cells makes the cultures a satisfactory astroglial-cell model, at least for some purposes.
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Palmer M, Björklund H, Olson L, Hoffer B. Trophic effects of brain areas on the developing cerebral cortex: II. Electrophysiology of intraocular grafts. Brain Res 1983; 282:141-8. [PMID: 6131732 DOI: 10.1016/0165-3806(83)90092-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Electrophysiological correlates of locus coeruleus-induced growth stimulation in rat cortical grafts homologously transplanted to the anterior chamber of the eye were studied. Neurons in growth-stimulated grafts manifested a slow sustained spontaneous discharge similar to that found in rat cortex in situ. Local administration of glutamate markedly augmented this discharge. In contrast, neurons from nonstimulated grafts fired in high frequency bursts separated by long pauses, and this discharge was comparatively insensitive to glutamate. Poststimulus inhibition after local stimulation of the transplant surface was readily observed in the growth-stimulated grafts, but absent in all non-stimulated grafts tested. Moreover, superfusion of picrotoxin, which antagonizes GABA-mediated inhibitory pathways, reversibly converted the growth-stimulated graft discharge pattern into one characteristic of non-stimulated grafts. Taken together with the data in the preceding paper, the results demonstrate the importance of extrinsic inputs for functional development of neuronal circuits within neocortex.
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Olson L, Björklund H, Hoffer BJ, Palmer MR, Seiger A. Spinal cord grafts: an intraocular approach to enigmas of nerve growth regulation. Brain Res Bull 1982; 9:519-37. [PMID: 6293662 DOI: 10.1016/0361-9230(82)90160-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The possible usefulness of intraocular transplantation in studies of spinal cord growth and regeneration has been evaluated. Defined segments of fetal rat spinal cord were grafted to the anterior chamber of the eye of adult rats. Such grafts become vascularized from the host iris, grow and develop neuron types, myelinated fiber bundles, astroglial populations (as shown by GFA-immunoreactivity), and electrical activity reminiscent of such features in normal spinal cord tissue. The intraocular technique permits studies of intrinsic circuitries as well as conditions for formation of afferent and efferent connections with the host iris and with other central or peripheral tissues which can be grafted into contact with the spinal cord grafts. One example of an intrinsic system preserved in the grafts is a rich network of nerve fibers with enkephalin-like immunoreactivity. When combined with cerebral cortex, the enkephalin-positive neurons of the spinal cord graft are able to form only very limited projections to the cortex graft. Special emphasis was given the possible formation of adrenergic afferents to spinal cord grafts. No appreciable ingrowth of peripheral sympathetic nerves occurred. Locus coeruleus grafts have many organotypical electrophysiological characteristics and were able to innervate adjacent spinal cord grafts provided that the sensory innervation of the host iris was removed. Experiments such as these suggest that "negative neurotropic" factors may be present in spinal cord and possibly relate to the unique relationship between spinal ganglia and spinal cord.
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Biochemistry of Aging. Clin Biochem 1982. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-657102-8.50014-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Abstract
Cultivation of nervous tissue by means of the roller-tube technique yields thin organotypic cultures. Explants or slices prepared from 1- to 20-day-old rats are embedded in a plasma clot on flying coverslips and cultivated for weeks in roller-tubes. Due to the flattening of the tissue, individual nerve cells are often arranged in monolayer thickness and can, therefore, be viewed with phase-contrast microscopy. This technique is utilized to culture and co-culture nervous tissue derived from various brain regions. The degree of organotypic organization depends on the age of the animals used for culturing. Stable intracellular recordings arae obtained from nerve cells which are impaled under visual control. In view of the accessibility of individual living cells, this approach seems to be particularly well-suited for physiological and pharmacological studies on morphologically identified nerve cells.
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Haynes LW, Zakarian S. Microanatomy of enkephalin-containing neurones in the developing rat spinal cord in vitro. Neuroscience 1981; 6:1899-916. [PMID: 7029344 DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(81)90030-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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Pinto F, Onofrj M, Mancinelli R, Garzetti GG, Masini L, Bellati U. A follow-up electrophysiological study of rats with poor intrauterine fetal growth: the development of visual evoked responses (VERs). EXPERIENTIA 1981; 37:724-6. [PMID: 7196842 DOI: 10.1007/bf01967946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The development of some electrophysiological activities of the visual system (VERs) was compared in control rats and in young rats with poor intrauterine fetal growth caused by an electrolytic lesion of the placenta. Treated rats showed a delayed development of the electrophysiological functions considered, thus confirming the postnatal effect of poor intrauterine fetal growth.
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Giesing M, Zilliken F. Lipid metabolism of developing central nervous tissues in organotypic cultures. III. Ganglionic control of glycerolipids and fatty acids in cortex grey matter. Neurochem Res 1980; 5:257-70. [PMID: 6445512 DOI: 10.1007/bf00964614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Lipid changes in rat brain grey matter were observed in a coculture system of innervating and target explants. The de novo biosynthesis of individual glycerolipids and the metabolism of fatty acids were investigated. Innervating grey matter cultures exhibited a substantial increase in neutral glycerolipid formation. Only slight modifications were observed in the fatty acid fraction. Target cells responded to innervation by a marked increase in phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine formation. In addition, the biosynthesis of arachidonate and docosahexaenoate was drastically enhanced. It is shown that neuritic bridges connecting the explants, rather than soluble factors, account for the effects observed. Putative mechanisms involved in changes of lipid metabolism are discussed.
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Binding and Iontophoretic Studies on Centrally Active Amino Acids—A Search for Physiological Receptors. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 1979. [DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(08)60638-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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