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Recovery of olfactory behavior. II. Neonatal olfactory bulb transplants enhance the rate of behavioral recovery.

Previous experiments in this laboratory have shown that transplants of a fetal olfactory bulb into a neonatal rat are viable and that they establish connections with the olfactory peduncle and olfactory cortex. The focus of this experiment was to investigate the anatomical correlates of any behavioral recovery seen in rats that had one olfactory bulb removed along with an immediate transplant of a fetal olfactory bulb. Anatomical details, such as transplant organization and olfactory nerve repenetration patterns were analyzed using a variety of histological and immunohistochemical techniques. The rats in this experiment showed behavioral recovery of olfactory ability. The recovery rates observed in these animals were compared to two other groups of rats that this laboratory has shown to be behaviorally competent: normal rats and rats with neonatal ablations of the olfactory bulb but no transplant. Although the animals with transplants did not recover to completely normal levels of olfactory ability, they did start behavioral testing in a more behaviorally competent condition than rats with simple neonatal lesions. Anatomical analysis revealed that the transplanted olfactory bulb was heavily penetrated by incoming olfactory nerve fibers but olfactory nerve penetration was not limited to the transplanted olfactory bulb. The extra-bulbar host regions that were penetrated included the orbital frontal cortex and three olfaction-related areas; olfactory cortex, olfactory peduncle and the subependymal cell layer. The olfactory nerve penetration patterns observed beyond the transplant were essentially the same as those observed in rats with only neonatal lesions of the olfactory bulb. Thus, multiple pathways may have contributed to the recovery observed in the rats with olfactory bulb transplants.

Animals↗

The primary olfactory projection has two chemically distinct zones.

The sensory neurons of the olfactory epithelium form an anatomically uniform population but are differentially excited by odorants. We have discovered an unexpected biochemical heterogeneity within this population that extends to its axonal projection onto the olfactory bulb. This heterogeneity is recognized by a newly generated monoclonal antibody, designated RB-8, that differentially stains the primary olfactory projection in rats and divides it into 2 nonoverlapping zones. With light-microscopic immunohistochemistry, RB-8 densely labels the fascicles of the olfactory nerve from the ventral and lateral parts of the olfactory epithelium, where there is also some epithelial staining. This area, which we designate RB-8-positive, comprises about two-thirds of the epithelial sheet. RB-8 labeling of the other third of the epithelium, which includes the dorsal recess and medial tips of the dorsal turbinals, is not detectable, and the fascicles from these RB-8-negative areas are only weakly stained. These RB-8-negative areas form a contiguous zone on flattened maps of the epithelial sheet. In the olfactory bulb, RB-8 staining of the glomeruli in the ventrolateral part is correspondingly dense, while that in the dorsomedial glomeruli is undetectable or very light. In the labeled glomeruli, the RB-8 staining is precisely coextensive with anti-olfactory marker protein staining, which serves as a marker for the olfactory axons and terminals. In addition, knife-cut lesions of the olfactory nerve totally eliminate the RB-8 staining in the glomeruli where the destruction of the olfactory terminals is complete. There is also a good correlation between the staining patterns in the bulb and epithelium and what is known from tract-tracing studies of the arrangement of the axonal projection of the epithelium onto the bulb. This evidence strongly suggests that, in the olfactory nerve and glomeruli, RB-8 stains the olfactory axons and their terminals. A survey of the CNS and peripheral tissues demonstrates that staining with RB-8 is nervous system-specific; not all components of the CNS and PNS are stained. The antigen recognized by RB-8 was characterized in immunoblots and by use of a direct radioimmunoassay (RIA) which assessed binding of 125I-RB-8. With this assay, the RB-8 binding sites in whole brain are shown to be membrane-associated, saturable, immunologically specific for RB-8, and trypsin-sensitive. In SDS-PAGE immunoblots of membrane proteins, the antigen in rat forebrain and in the olfactory nerve is a protein of 125 kDa Mr, which comigrates in mixtures of membranes from the 2 sources.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

The olfactory route for cerebrospinal fluid drainage into the peripheral lymphatic system.

Drainage of the cerebrospinal fluid through the olfactory nerves into the nasal lymphatics has been suggested repeatedly. To investigate precisely the morphology of this pathway, India ink was injected into the subarachnoidal space of the rat brain, and samples including the olfactory bulbs, olfactory tracts and the nasal mucosa were observed by light and electron microscopy. Under the dissecting microscope, ink particles were found within the subarachnoid space and along the olfactory nerves. At the nasal mucosa, a lymphatic network stained in black was identified near the olfactory nerves, which finally emptied into the superficial and deep cervical lymph nodes. Light microscopically, ink particles were found in the subarachnoid space, partially distributed around the olfactory nerves and within the lymphatic vessels. By electron microscopy, the subarachnoid space often formed a pocket-like space in the entrance of the fila olfactoria. The olfactory nerves were partially surrounded by ink particles within the space between perineurial cells and epineurial fibroblasts. At the nasal mucosa, the lymphatics were frequently located close to the nerves. These results indicate that the cerebrospinal fluid drains from the subarachnoid space along the olfactory nerves to the nasal lymphatics, which in turn, empties into the cervical lymph nodes. This anatomical communication, thus, allows the central nervous system to connect with the lymphatic system. The presence of this route may play an important role in the movement of antigens from the subarachnoidal space to the extracranial lymphatic vessels, resulting in inducement of an immune response of the central nervous system.

Animals↗

Characterization and localization of mRNA encoding the salmon-type gonadotrophin-releasing hormone precursor of the masu salmon.

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is considered to have an important role in the control of reproduction in salmonid fish, although we do not have any direct evidence. To clarify this problem by molecular techniques, we first determined the nucleotide sequence of the mRNA encoding the precursor of salmon-type GnRH (sGnRH) from the masu salmon, Oncorhynchus masou. The masu salmon sGnRH precursor was composed of a signal peptide, sGnRH and a GnRH-associated peptide (GAP) which was connected to sGnRH by a Gly-Lys-Arg sequence. The amino acid sequence of sGnRH and Gly-Lys-Arg were highly conserved when compared with the corresponding regions of African cichlid sGnRH and mammalian GnRH precursors. However, the GAP region was markedly divergent, with a 66% amino acid similarity to African cichlid GAP and an 8.3-15% similarity to mammalian GAPs. Northern blot analysis indicated the presence of a single mRNA species of about 600 bases in the olfactory bulb and telencephalon and in the diencephalon. The signal was more intense in the former regions. An in-situ hybridization study further revealed that sGnRH neurones were distributed in the olfactory nerve, the ventral part of the olfactory bulb, the ventral part of the telencephalon, the lateral preoptic area and the preoptic nucleus. The sGnRH neurones were thus longitudinally scattered between the olfactory nerve and the lateral preoptic area in the rostroventral part of brain. The intensity of the hybridization signals and the size of hybridization-positive somata were much greater in the olfactory nerve and the rostral olfactory bulb than in the other regions. Preoptic sGnRH neurones were scarcely detected in immature masu salmon, whereas they were more frequently observed in maturing animals. It is possible that the olfactory and the preoptic sGnRH neurones have different physiological roles in salmonid fish.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Olfactory and nonolfactory odor detection in pigeons: elucidation by a cardiac acceleration paradigm.

A technique for the Pavlovian conditioning of cardiac acceleration in response to odorants was developed and used to compare the sensitivity of pigeons to four odorants before and after resection of the olfactory nerves. This method provided quite reliable psychophysical functions yet required relatively little training time. Thresholds of normal pigeons to n-amyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, benzaldehyde and butanol were approximately 10(-4), 10(-5), 10(-3.3) and 10(-4.3) of vapor saturation, respectively. Following resection surgery, sensitivity decreased by 2 to 4 log units. When transection of the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve was combined with olfactory nerve resection, little evidence of a further decline in odor sensitivity was seen. Based on these results each of these compounds could be used, at concentrations below the postoperative threshold, to study, in isolation, both normal and reconstituting olfactory systems in the pigeon.

Animals↗

Olfactory receptor cell responses of pigeon to some odors.

A preparation has been developed in the pigeon which allows recording of the electrical activity from an olfactory nerve twig containing the nonmyelinated axons of a small group of olfactory receptor cells. The pigeon's response to n-amylacetate is vigorous and stable, like that of other air-breathing animals. Responses in the olfactory receptor cells in the pigeon increased in magnitude with increase in the odor concentration. An olfactory nerve twig produced a different magnitude of responses to the various odor stimuli. When an odor stimulation was applied to the olfactory mucosa, the two different olfactory nerve twigs which were separated from the same olfactory nerve bundle produced a different magnitude of responses. The differences may be dependent on several factors.

Animals↗

Subarachnoid space of the CNS, nasal mucosa, and lymphatic system.

We have briefly reviewed the literature pertaining to the movement of tracer molecules and infectious organisms within the olfactory nerve. There is a body of evidence indicating that tracers placed in the CSF will quickly move via the olfactory nerve to the nasal mucosa and then to the cervical lymph nodes. Organic and inorganic tracer materials and organisms as diverse as viruses, a bacillus, and an amoeba, when placed in the nasal cavity, have been shown to move from the nasal mucosa via the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb and the CSF. We think that a portion of the data on tracer movement is due to incorporation of tracer materials and organisms into the axoplasm of the olfactory neurons with subsequent anterograde or retrograde axoplasmic transport. However, some of the movement of tracers may occur within the olfactory perineural space. This space may be continuous with a subarachnoid extension that surrounds the olfactory nerve as it penetrates the cribriform plate. To our knowledge, no one has yet followed the perineural space to determine if it is continuous from olfactory receptor to olfactory bulb. The consideration of this space and its role is the main reason for this review.

Animals↗

Cellular and subcellular localization of gamma-aminobutyric acidB receptors in the rat olfactory bulb.

Olfactory nerve axons terminate in rounded regions of the olfactory bulb, termed glomeruli, where they make excitatory synapses with the dendrites of second-order neurons. Neurotransmission from the olfactory nerve to the postsynaptic targets is negatively regulated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and there is evidence that inhibition of sensory input is mediated, at least in part, by GABA(B) receptors. Using an antiserum that recognizes two GABA(B) receptor splice variants (GBR1a and GBR1b), we show here that GABA(B) receptors are located on the axon terminals of the olfactory nerve, where they are concentrated at sites of axodendritic apposition. Taken with previous data, these results indicate that GABA(B) receptors act presynaptically to regulate the release of glutamate from olfactory nerve terminals.

Alternative Splicing↗

Ontogenic development of three GnRH systems in the brain of a pleuronectiform fish, barfin flounder.

A pleuronectiform fish, the barfin flounder Verasper moseri, has three molecular forms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the brain, salmon GnRH (sGnRH), chicken GnRH-II (cGnRH-II) and seabream GnRH (sbGnRH). To elucidate the ontogenic origin of the neurons that produce these GnRH molecules, the development of three GnRH systems was examined by in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. Neuronal somata that express sGnRH mRNA were detected first in the vicinity of the olfactory epithelium 21 days after hatching (Day 21), and then in the transitional area between the olfactory nerve and olfactory bulb and the terminal nerve ganglion on Day 28. cGnRH-II mRNA-expressing neuronal somata were first identified in the midbrain tegmentum near the ventricle on Day 7. cGnRH-II-immunoreactive (ir) fibers were first found in the brain on Day 7. sbGnRH mRNA-expressing neuronal somata were first detected in the preoptic area on Day 42. sbGnRH-ir fibers were localized in the preoptic area-hypothalamus, and formed a distinctive bundle of axons projecting to the pituitary on Day 70. These results indicate that three forms of GnRH neurons have separate embryonic origins in the barfin flounder as in other perciform fish such as tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and red seabream Pagrus major: sGnRH, cGnRH-II and sbGnRH neurons derive from the olfactory placode, the midbrain tegmentum near the ventricle and the preoptic area, respectively.

Animals↗

Short-axon cells in the olfactory bulb: dendrodendritic synaptic interactions.

1. In the rabbit olfactory bulb, analysis has been carried out of extracellular unitary responses in the glomerular layer to olfactory nerve volleys. 2. Units in the glomerular layer responded to single volleys with single, double, triple or longer repetitive spike discharges. The shortest initial latencies are consistent with monosynaptic excitation from the olfactory nerves; longer latencies may reflect longer nerve pathways or polysynaptic connexions in the glomerular layer. 3. Like mitral and tufted cells, some glomerular layer units gave evidence of activation by discrete nerve bundles. This correlates with recent anatomical evidence for projections of discrete olfactory nerve bundles to the glomeruli. 4. Facilitation of glomerular layer units took the form of lower spike thresholds and shorter latencies, when testing with paired olfactory nerve volleys of weak strength at relatively short intervals (less than 40 msec). Supression took the form of raised thresholds, longer latencies and briefer repetitive discharges; this was particularly evident with strong volleys at long testing intervals. 5. The early period of facilitation and later period of suppression did not correlate with the recovery cycle of the olfactory nerves; the nerves had an absolute refractory period of approximately 3 msec, relative refractory period of 15-30 msec, and a small supernormal period of several hundred msec or more. 6. The evidence that the facilitation and suppression are mediated by dendrodendritic pathways through the periglomerular short-axon cells is discussed in relation to recent electronmicroscopical studies. The results have implications for similar pathways through short-axon cell dendrites in other parts of the nervous system.

Action Potentials↗

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the olfactory system of an adult teleost fish Oreochromis mossambicus.

The aim of the present study is to explore the distribution of nitric oxide synthase in the olfactory system of an adult teleost, Oreochromis mossambicus using neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) immunocytochemistry and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPHd) histochemistry methods. Intense nNOS immunoreactivity was noticed in several olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), in their axonal extensions over the olfactory nerve and in some basal cells of the olfactory epithelium. nNOS containing fascicles of the ORNs enter the bulb from its rostral pole, spread in the olfactory nerve layer in the periphery of the bulb and display massive innervation of the olfactory glomeruli. Unilateral ablation of the olfactory organ resulted in dramatic loss of nNOS immunoreactivity in the olfactory nerve layer of the ipsilateral bulb. In the olfactory bulb of intact fish, some granule cells showed intense immunoreactivity; dendrites arising from the granule cells could be traced to the glomerular layer. Of particular interest is the occurrence of nNOS immunoreactivity in the ganglion cells of the nervus terminalis. nNOS containing fibers were also encountered in the medial olfactory tracts as they extend to the telencephalon. The NADPHd staining generally coincides with that of nNOS suggesting that it may serve as a marker for nNOS in the olfactory system of this fish. However, mismatch was encountered in the case of mitral cells, while all are nNOS-negative, few were NADPHd positive. The present study for the first time revealed the occurrence of nNOS immunoreactivity in the ORNs of an adult vertebrate and suggests a role for nitric oxide in the transduction of odor stimuli, regeneration of olfactory epithelium and processing of olfactory signals.

Animals↗

Immunohistochemical localization of laminin, fibronectin and collagen type IV in the nerve fiber layer of the olfactory bulb.

When the olfactory nerve is injured in adult mammals, the axons grow across the PNS-CNS transitional zone and re-innervate their synaptic contacts within the olfactory bulb. Some years ago, Liesi [Liesi P. (1985) Laminin-immunoreactive glia distinguish regenerative adult CNS systems from non-regenerative ones. EMBO J. 4, 2505-2511] reported the presence of laminin in non-basal lamina locations within the nerve fiber layer (NFL) of the olfactory bulb of adult rats and suggested that this molecule may facilitate olfactory axonal growth into and within the CNS. The purpose of the present study was to compare the expression of laminin, fibronectin, and collagen type IV in: (a) the NFL of developing and adult rats; and (b) the NFL rostral and caudal to a stab wound in the olfactory bulb of adult rats. Numerous punctate deposits of immunofluorescence were seen in the NFL of the E18 (Theiler stage 23) bulb when antisera to laminin, fibronectin or collagen type IV were used. There was a dramatic drop-off in staining at the border between the NFL and the presumptive glomerular layer. The staining pattern was similar in the newborn bulb, although the immunofluorescence was not as strong. In the unoperated adult rats, only laminin was present consistently as punctate deposits within the NFL, whereas all three antisera stained numerous punctate deposits within the NFL during the first week after a stab wound. Although there was a partial recapitulation of the expression pattern for laminin, fibronectin and collagen type IV in the lesioned adult NFL, it never reached the extent found in the E18 or newborn bulbs and its expression returned to normal levels prior to the re-innervation of the bulb during the second and third weeks after surgery. The results suggest that the molecular requirements for the successful growth of olfactory axons may differ during development to growth in adult animals.

Animals↗

Formation of an olfactory glomerulus: morphological aspects of development and organization.

We have studied the development of olfactory nerves in the rat from their first contact with the telencephalic vesicle until the formation of glomerular structures in the olfactory bulb at early postnatal period. The study is based on serial semithin and ultrathin sections of material prepared for electron microscopy and antibodies to label radial glial cells, glial fibrillary acidic protein and Rat-401. Beginning on embryonic day 12, developing olfactory axons from the olfactory placode are accompanied by migratory cells, also derived from the olfactory placode, that reach the prospective olfactory bulb by embryonic day 13. The mass of migratory cells accumulate superficial to the telencephalic vesicle. The cells increase in number by mitotic divisions. The majority of these cells represent precursor elements that will later develop into the ensheathing cells of the olfactory nerves and olfactory nerve layer of the adult. Some migratory cells penetrate into the prospective olfactory bulb early during development. The first synaptic contacts of olfactory axons with dendritic processes in the olfactory bulb were observed at embryonic day 18. Glomerular formation is initiated by penetration of cells from the migratory mass into the prospective glomerular layer by embryonic day 20 to postnatal day 0. These cells form walls surrounding zones of high synaptic density forming protoglomeruli. Postnatally, the peripheral processes of radial glial cells branch profusely delimiting glomerular formations and transform into periglomerular astrocytes. Rat-401 stains radial glial cells from embryonic day 14. Immunoreactivity becomes restricted to the olfactory glomeruli during the first postnatal weeks and it virtually disappears by the end of the first postnatal month. We conclude that the early penetration of cells from the migratory mass into the prospective olfactory bulb, observed immediately after the first synaptic contacts were established, initiates the formation of olfactory glomeruli which becomes completed by the transformation of radial glial cells into periglomerular astrocytes.

Animals↗

Phase-dependent filtering of sensory information in the oscillatory olfactory center of a terrestrial mollusk.

With electrophysiological techniques, we found phase-dependent modification of the efficacy of signal transmission in the procerebrum (PC), the oscillatory olfactory center, of the terrestrial mollusk Limax marginatus and elucidated its neuronal mechanism. Previous studies have indicated that about 10(5) PC neurons can be classified into only two types: bursting (B) neurons and nonbursting (NB) neurons, and both types of neurons have ongoing and phase-locked periodic oscillation of their membrane potentials. On olfactory nerve stimulation, excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were evoked with a constant latency in NB neurons, while EPSPs with a variable latency were evoked in B neurons. These findings suggest a monosynaptic connection from the olfactory nerve to NB neurons, but a polysynaptic connection between the olfactory nerve and B neurons. This polysynaptic transmission is most likely mediated by NB neurons because the olfactory nerve makes synaptic connection only with NB neurons in the PC. The latency of the evoked EPSPs in B neurons depended on the phase of the PC oscillatory activity, presumably because of the oscillation of the intervening NB neurons. These results suggest that the efficacy of olfactory nerve-B neuron polysynaptic transmission is regulated by the activity level of the phasically oscillating NB neurons. Thus, the intrinsic oscillation in the PC can serve as a filter for olfactory information conveyed from the olfactory nerve as a train of neuronal spikes. This filtering system may also produce a phase-dependent modification by the olfactory input of the PC oscillation frequency.

Animals↗

Activity-dependent regulation of dopamine content in the olfactory bulbs of naris-occluded rats.

Several lines of evidence strongly suggest that reduced olfactory nerve activity results in decreased bulb dopamine content. In the present study, high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection was used to assess catecholamine levels in bulbs from postnatal day 60 rats that had undergone either unilateral naris cautery or a sham surgery on day 30. Thirty days of odor deprivation dramatically reduced dopamine and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid levels in functionally-deprived bulbs (ipsilateral to occluded nares) as compared to contralateral controls, while norepinephrine and dihydroxyphenylglycol levels were unchanged. The loss of dopamine was more severe in medial as compared to lateral aspects of experimental bulbs, while the loss of dihydroxyphenylacetic acid was similar on the two sides. To test directly the hypothesis that afferent activity regulates dopamine and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid content, 1 h of high frequency tetanic nerve stimulation was provided to the rostral-medial olfactory nerve layer in deprived olfactory bulbs, and catecholamine levels were assessed from 6 to 192 h later. Partial and temporary recovery of dopamine was observed in medial aspects of the bulb when rats were examined 96 h later, while consistent recovery of dihydroxyphenylacetic acid content was not apparent. These data corroborate evidence that olfactory nerve activity is a potent regulator of bulb dopamine and indicate that continued afferent input is necessary to maintain dopamine levels.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

On the formation of neuromata in the primary olfactory projection.

Olfactory axons have been shown to grow aberrantly and form dense collections of axons, termed neuromas, in the olfactory epithelium of rats in which the olfactory bulb was ablated. Likewise, in human olfactory mucosa, collections of neurites have been noted in a variety of disease states, including Alzheimer's disease. We report here an immunohistochemical and electron microscopic analysis of aberrant axonal growth in the rat olfactory mucosa induced by experimental lesion. In particular, we have used the monoclonal antibody 2G12, which binds to the phosphorylated form of GAP-43, as an extremely sensitive marker for neuromatous axons, because it does not label neuronal cell bodies. In unilaterally bulbectomized rats, neuromas form in posterior olfactory epithelium on the operated side. Several lines of evidence, including serial section reconstruction, indicate that olfactory axons are induced to grow back into the epithelium at a distance from their point of origin as a consequence of bulbectomy, and are accompanied by glial cells from the olfactory nerve. Avulsion of a part of the olfactory nerve has similar effects as destruction of the olfactory bulb. Intraepithelial neuromas also develop in the olfactory mucosa of rats simultaneously exposed to methyl bromide gas and injected with 3-methyl indole; this treatment severely damages the olfactory epithelium directly. Exposure to methyl bromide alone causes milder damage, and the neuromas that form are transient. The evidence indicates that neuromas form after the epithelium is directly damaged because axons are trapped in the epithelium. Both of the mechanisms identified here should be taken into account when considering the findings in the human olfactory mucosa.

Animals↗

Expression of neuregulin and ErbB3 and ErbB4 after a traumatic lesion in the ventral funiculus of the spinal cord and in the intact primary olfactory system.

Neuron-derived neuregulins have been implicated in the regulation of glial cell function and survival. This factor family and its receptors may therefore be assumed to be of importance for the cellular response to traumatic injury. In this study we have examined the distribution of mRNA for neuregulin 1 (NRG1), ErbB3 and ErbB4-receptor tyrosine kinases after a ventral funiculus lesion in the lumbar spinal cord (VFL). The techniques used were in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. The survival times were 1-21 days. The spinal cords from normal adult and embryonic rats were used as controls. For comparison, sections from the olfactory bulb of perinatal and adult rats were also included in the study. Expression of NRG1 mRNA was observed in motoneurons in the intact spinal cord. A decrease in the labeling for NRG1 mRNA was seen during the first 5 days after VFL but then became slightly upregulated at 3 weeks after the lesion. A high labeling signal for ErbB3-mRNA was observed in the ventral and dorsal roots of E16 and E18 embryos. Labeling for ErbB3-mRNA was strong in the affected ventral root at 3 days after the VFL, reached a maximum at 1 week and was still upregulated after 3 weeks. Increased labeling for ErbB3 was also noted in scattered cells in the scar tissue 1-3 weeks after the VFL. These findings were verified with immunohistochemistry for ErbB3. A strong labeling for ErbB3 in the olfactory nerve fiber layer and olfactory nerve bundles was observed in rats of all ages examined. ErbB4 had strong expression in the embryonic spinal cord, but no evidence for lesion-induced regulation of ErbB4 receptors could be found after the VFL. Our data show that ErbB3 in the ventral roots was upregulated after a VFL and that NRG1 mRNA was initially downregulated in the motoneurons. The lesion-induced changes in the expression of NRG1 and ErbB3 in the injured spinal cord and denervated ventral root can be assumed to be of importance for axonal growth and the regulation of glial cell survival.

Animals↗

Postoperative anosmia after anterior communicating artery aneurysms surgery by the pterional approach.

Damage to the olfactory nerve during the pterional approach to the anterior communicating artery aneurysms has not previously been investigated in a quantified manner. In this retrospective study, 100 patients with anterior communicating artery aneurysms, for whom the pterional approach was employed, were observed from the point of view of postoperative olfactory nerve function. In the postoperative period only three cases suffered from the impaired sense of smell ipsilateral to the side of surgery. 15 patients objectively showed olfactory nerve distinctions. The functions of olfactory nerve could be preserved at a relatively high rate of 85 per cent. This high rate resulted from the microtechnique employed as well as the relatively cautious frontal lobe retraction which was less than 1.5 cm.

Adolescent↗