Recuperación de la habilidad motora mediante trasplantes neurales en ratas adultas con lesión de la corteza frontal

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the mechanisms by which neural transplants contribute to functional recovery of the motor disorders produced by frontal cortex damage in adult rats. Material and methods: Male Wistar rats were used, with the application of behavioral tests, electrophysiological methods and immunohistochemical and histological techniques. The animals were conditioned using a specific fine motor skill test, with determination of the dominant paw. Damage was produced in the frontal cortex contralateral to the dominant paw, with evaluation of the effectiveness of the lesion based on the behavioral test. In one group of damaged animals embryonic cortical tissue was implanted in the cavity left by the lesion. In a second group fetal amygdaline tissue was used as donor material, while in a third group adult rat sciatic nerve was implanted. The three groups were compared with a control group. Results: Three months after grafting, the rats with fetal amygdaline tissue and with transplanted cortical material improved of the motor defect induced by the lesion. The rats with grafted sciatic nerve showed no improvement. Conclusion: Amygdaline tissue grafts induce improvement similar to that recorded with cortical tissue transplants. The partially shared ontogenetic origin of amygdaline and cortical tissue could be implicated in the functional recovery mechanisms