After optic nerve transection in the adult hamster (Carter et al., 1989) and rat (Vidal-Sanz et al., 1987), axons of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) can regrow long distances through peripheral nerve (PN) grafts and form connections in the superior colliculus, a normal target of RGC axons. This thesis further investigated synaptogenesis in the injured mammalian CNS: regenerating RGC axons of adult hamsters were guided through PN grafts into two novel targets, the cerebellum (Cb) and the inferior colliculus (IC). When examined 2 to 9 months later, RGC axons were found to have extended into the grey matter of both targets for distances of up to 650 $ mu$m. Growth into white matter was rare and limited to 50 $ mu$m. RGC axons formed terminals and synapses in both targets. Within the Cb, there was a marked preference for growth and synapse formation in the granule cell layer (GCL) which could not be explained by: the position of the PN graft in the Cb, a selective denervation of the GCL, local damage to other neurons, or the distribution of reactive gliosis. / These anatomical studies indicate that regenerating CNS axons can form connections with novel targets in the adult hamster. The preferential synaptogenesis in the GCL of the Cb suggests that such connections are not formed randomly.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.39358 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | Zwimpfer, Thomas Joseph |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001277314, proquestno: NN74935, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
Page generated in 0.0018 seconds