Höpker V H, Saffrey M J, Burnstock G
Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, UK.
Brain Res. 1994 Jun 20;648(2):332-6. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(94)91137-1.
Dissociated striatal neurons exhibited increased neurite outgrowth when co-cultured with myenteric plexus explants. Enriched enteric neurons or enriched enteric glia produced a less marked response; non-ganglionic cells had no effect. Increases in striatal neuron and glial cell numbers were seen in all co-cultures. Tetrodotoxin abolished the neuritogenic response of myenteric plexus explants but did not affect increases in cell numbers. These observations suggest that spontaneous neuronal activity within the myenteric plexus is involved in the release of a neuritogenic factor(s), possibly from glial cells, and that this is distinct from the factor(s) affecting striatal cell numbers.
