Johnston M V, Grzanna R, Coyle J T
Science. 1979 Jan 26;203(4378):369-71. doi: 10.1126/science.32620.
A single injection of methylazoxymethanol in pregnant rats at 15 days of gestation results in severe cortical atrophy in the offspring. In the adult offspring, the neurochemical markers for the cortical gamma-aminobutyric acid-containing neurons are severely reduced, whereas the noradrenergic markers are minimally altered. Immunohistofluorescence microscopy demonstrates a marked increase in the density of noradrenergic axons which have an abnormal pattern of distribution in the atrophic cortex. The results suggest that the central noradrenergic neurons determine the number of axons to be formed early in brain development, but local factors in the terminal field regulate the ultimate distribution of the noradrenergic axons.
在妊娠第15天给怀孕大鼠单次注射甲基氧化偶氮甲醇会导致其后代出现严重的皮质萎缩。在成年后代中，含γ-氨基丁酸的皮质神经元的神经化学标记物严重减少，而去甲肾上腺素能标记物的变化则微乎其微。免疫组织荧光显微镜检查显示，去甲肾上腺素能轴突的密度显著增加，且在萎缩皮质中的分布模式异常。结果表明，中枢去甲肾上腺素能神经元在大脑发育早期决定了要形成的轴突数量，但终末区域的局部因素调节去甲肾上腺素能轴突的最终分布。
