title: Thymus graft reverses morphological deficits in dorsolateral frontal cortex of congenitally athymic nude mice.
abstract: The present investigation offers a basis for demonstrating that the cerebral cortex can be directly accessed through the immune system. This project was undertaken to provide a necessary step in confirming that the localized, deficient area of the cerebral cortex in the congenitally athymic nude mouse is related to the thymus, a gland necessary for the development of T-cells and the regulation of the neuro-endocrine system. We report that thymus engraftment, confirmed by reconstitution of CD4 and CD8 T-cells, in 30-day-old congenitally athymic female mice reverses deficiencies in the frontal cortex by day 60. A concomitant increase in serum prolactin was observed in thymic-grafted nude mice, suggesting a role by which prolactin may produce the morphological changes observed in the cerebral cortex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-3140, USA.
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Gaufo
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Diamond
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D011981:Receptors, Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000637:transplantation*
chemical_list: D011981:Receptors, Prolactin; D011388:Prolactin