Fetal neocortical transplants grafted to the cerebral cortex of newborn rats receive afferents from the basal forebrain, locus coeruleus and midline raphe.

Fetal cerebral neocortex (E15-17) was grafted into the cerebral hemisphere of newborn (0-1 day old) rats. Grafts were placed into cortical aspiration lesion cavities made immediately prior to grafting. At maturity, transplant afferents were examined by injecting the retrogradely transported fluorescent dyes diamidino yellow and fast blue into the grafts. Retrogradely-labeled neurons were histologically observed within several regions of the host brain including the basal forebrain, locus coeruleus and dorsal raphe areas. The topographical distribution within these areas resembled the normal labeling patterns described in previous reports.