Premium
Neuron transplantation reverses phenobarbital‐induced behavioral birth defects in mice
Author(s) -
Yanai Joseph,
Pick Chaim G.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
international journal of developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.761
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1873-474X
pISSN - 0736-5748
DOI - 10.1016/0736-5748(88)90046-9
Subject(s) - locus coeruleus , phenobarbital , transplantation , hippocampus , neuroscience , neuron , fetus , endocrinology , cholinergic , medicine , biology , central nervous system , pregnancy , genetics
Mice were exposed to phenobarbital prenatally on gestation days 9–18 (B mice), and were tested at adulthood for behavioral changes. B mice showed deficits in the eight‐arm maze, a behavior related to the septohippocampal pathways. Consequently, transplantation of septal (mostly cholinergic) and locus coeruleus (mostly noradrenergic) neurons was applied to reverse the behavioral deficits. Most (75%) of the controls but none of the B mice reached a specific criterion in the eight‐arm maze. However, transplantation of fetal septal tissue into the hippocampus of B mice enabled 55% of them to reach criterion. Transplantation of locus coeruleus tissue did not improve the performance of B mice. The viability of the transplants was confirmed in cytochemical studies. The results suggest that transplantation of neurons can be applied to reverse phenobarbital‐induced behavioral birth defects.