Mnoaminergic reinnervation of the transected spinal cord by homologous fetal brain grafts.

It was shown that immature noradrenaline (NA) containing cells from locus coeruleus and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) containing cells from the raphé nuclei could survive homologous transplantation to adult spinal cords that were adrenergically denervated by a transverse lesion. Fully viable transplants were found at all postoperative time studied (0.5-4 months) and both NA and 5-HT cell bodies were found to produce a network of nerve terminals in the gray matter and axons in the white matter that reached cranially and caudally at least 10 mm from the cell bodies. The nerve fibers had a normal varicose appearance. It was concluded that NA and 5-HT axons can grow in adult lesioned white matter.