title: The effect of a chronic breakdown of the blood-optic nerve barrier on the severed optic nerve in adult rat.
abstract: The changes brought about in the severed optic nerve of an adult rat when the blood-optic nerve barrier was chronically broken down by the local application of a solution of mannitol is described. Axonal labelling indicated that axons did not regenerate across the lesion site, refuting the suggestion that breakdown of the blood-optic nerve barrier can stimulate axonal regeneration. However, we observed that blood vessels were dilated and, between the eye and lesion site, provided a substrate for regenerating axonal sprouts. We suggest that blood-borne agents may directly or indirectly influence the navigation of the growth cones of regrowing axons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, The University of Western Australia, 6009 Nedlands, Australia.
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Beazley
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tennant
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Dunlop