A syringe modification for the simple and rapid dissociation of post-natal rat cerebral tissue for preparing primary cultures of mixed glial cells.

Mechanical disruption of 2-day post-natal rat cerebral tissue without enzyme pretreatment through 21-gauge and 23-gauge hypodermic needles on a 1 ml disposable plastic syringe, gives dissociated preparations which contain between 1.7 and 2.1 X 10(7) cells/100 mg wet tissue. At a plating density of between 7.1 and 9.2 X 10(5)/cm2 in culture, between 2 X 10(5) and 2 X 10(6) cells are recovered after 7 days. Use of needles finer than 23-gauge resulted in lower cell yields and loss of galactocerebroside-positive oligodendrocytes. The method described is convenient for the routine preparation of mixed primary glial cultures on a regular basis where many cerebra need to be processed.