title: Full anatomical recovery of the dopaminergic system after a complete spinal cord injury in lampreys.
abstract: Following a spinal injury, lampreys at first are paralyzed below the level of transection. However, they recover locomotion after several weeks, and this is accompanied by the regeneration of descending axons from the brain and the production of new neurons in the spinal cord. Here, we aimed to analyse the changes in the dopaminergic system of the sea lamprey after a complete spinal transection by studying the changes in dopaminergic cell numbers and dopaminergic innervation in the spinal cord. Changes in the expression of the D2 receptor were also studied. We report the full anatomical regeneration of the dopaminergic system after an initial decrease in the number of dopaminergic cells and fibres. Numbers of dopaminergic cells were recovered rostrally and caudally to the site of injury. Quantification of dopaminergic profiles revealed the full recovery of the dopaminergic innervation of the spinal cord rostral and caudal to the site of injury. Interestingly, no changes in the expression of the D2 receptor were observed at time points in which a reduced dopaminergic innervation of the spinal cord was observed. Our observations reveal that in lampreys a spinal cord injury is followed by the full anatomical recovery of the dopaminergic system.
authors: Department of Cell Biology and Ecology, CIBUS, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: Blanca
authors: B
authors: Fernández-López
authors: Department of Cell Biology and Ecology, CIBUS, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Romaus-Sanjurjo
authors: Department of Cell Biology and Ecology, CIBUS, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: María Eugenia
authors: ME
authors: Cornide-Petronio
authors: Department of Cell Biology and Ecology, CIBUS, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: Sonia
authors: S
authors: Gómez-Fernández
authors: Department of Cell Biology and Ecology, CIBUS, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: Antón
authors: A
authors: Barreiro-Iglesias
authors: Department of Cell Biology and Ecology, CIBUS, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: María Celina
authors: MC
authors: Rodicio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D059290:Dopaminergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D007798:Lampreys; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000378:metabolism; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2