Dendrites and neuroglia following hemisection of rat spinal cord: effects of puromycin.

Within 60 to 90 days of spinal cord hemisection or hemisection, Gelfoam, water implantation in the lesion site, ventral horn neurons 0 to 5 mm proximal to the site of lesion form varicosities along the dendrite. The varicosities form on peripheral dendrites at 10 days and progressively involve the entire dendritic shaft by 60 to 90 days. Following spinal cord hemisection and Gelfoam puromycin implantation the neurons in the ventral horn are resistant to varicosity formation. Sixty days after hemisection puromycin-treated neurons form a few varicosities on occasional peripheral dendrites with no further involvement of the dendrite by 90 days postlesion. The neuroglial reaction to hemisection is not altered by puromycin treatment. The correlation of inhibition of protein synthesis and resistance to dendritic varicosity formation is discussed.