Effects of gangliosides on the development of selective afferent connections within fetal mouse spinal cord explants.

Monosynaptic evoked responses were used to localize dorsal root ganglion (DRG) afferent terminals within organotypic fetal mouse spinal cord explants which had been chronically exposed to purified bovine gangliosides during early development. Ganglioside grown cultures showed a highly significant increase in dorsal cord innervation preferences in comparison with control cultures. The amount of evoked activity was significantly lower than was observed in controls, suggesting that the formation of 'incorrect' functional connections was blocked by specific chemical factors. Exposure to N-acetylgalactosamine, a major ganglioside amino sugar, also resulted in an increased dorsal cord innervation preference by the DRG afferents.