Regeneration and recovery of the hearing function of the central auditory pathway by transplants of embryonic brain tissue in adult rats.
The present study is the first report of successful regeneration and recovery of hearing function of the central auditory pathway after transection in the adult rat. The ventral cochlear tract in the brain stem to pons was transected on one side in adult rats. Tissue from embryos (E14 to E16) was used to cover the lesion site. In 30% of the rats examined, the axons regrew beyond the transected site and regenerated into the denervated side and terminated at the normal targets. The hearing function of rats was elucidated by recording the auditory brain stem response (ABR). Rats with successful regeneration showed nearly normal ABR. In rats receiving simple transection without covering embryonic tissue, there was no regeneration and hearing function did not recover. Thus, the present findings contradict the widely held view that the adult mammalian central auditory system cannot be restored following damage.
Ito
J
J
Department of Otolaryngology, Otsu Red Cross Hospital, Otsu, 520-0046, Japan. ito.hs.m.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Murata
M
M
Kawaguchi
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001304:Auditory Diseases, Central / Q000628:therapy; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D019771:Axotomy; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000196:embryology / Q000637:transplantation; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation; D003051:Cochlea / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D011149:Pons / Q000196:embryology / Q000637:transplantation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D018998:Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate
D018998:Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate