Intracerebroventricularly transplanted embryonic neuronal tissue from inflammatory-resistant F344/N rats decreases acoustic startle responses in inflammatory-susceptible LEW/N rats.
Recently, we have shown that intracerebral transplantation of fetal F344/N hypothalamic tissue into LEW/N rats converts the LEW/N inflammatory-susceptible phenotype into an inflammatory-resistant phenotype in LEW/N hosts. Because LEW/N rats also exhibit relatively high acoustic startle responses (ASRs) compared to F344/N rats, in the present study we examined the effects on ASR of transplantation of F344/N hypothalamic tissue into the third ventricle of LEW/N rats. Dissected neuronal tissue from F344/N rats (Day E15-16) was implanted into the third ventricle of LEW/N rats. After 4 wk of postoperative survival, the animals' responses to acoustic startle stimuli were tested. Compared to naive and sham-operated animals, LEW/N rats transplanted with hypothalamic tissue exhibited significant decreases in ASR amplitudes. A similar decrease in ASR amplitude was observed in the group of LEW/N rats transplanted with embryonic striatal tissue. Our results indicate that the third ventricular neuronal grafts may modulate behavioral responses in the LEW/N rats. Although the mechanism of this effect is unknown, these studies suggest that intracerebral neuronal transplantation is a viable method with which to explore mechanisms of behavioral, neuroendocrine, and inflammatory response associations.
Misiewicz
B
B
Clinical Neuroendocrinology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Poltorak
M
M
Gomez
M
M
Glowa
J R
JR
Gold
P W
PW
Sternberg
E M
EM
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D002351:Carrageenan / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation; D005333:Fetus / Q000276:immunology; D007031:Hypothalamus; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D009474:Neurons / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000502:physiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology; D016042:Transplantation, Heterotopic
D002351:Carrageenan