Abstract
IT is now well known that some central nervous system axons can regenerate following axotomy1,2 or sprout in reaction to nearby denervation3. The cholinergic projection from the septal nuclei to the hippocampal formation has demonstrated the ability both to regenerate4,5 and sprout6,7. However, the possibility that axons in the mature mammalian brain can be induced to grow in other circumstances has not been investigated. We have examined the ability of the axons of the fimbria, the fibre bundle which interconnects the septal nuclei and the hippocampal formations, to grow in circumstances other than those used in classical regeneration and sprouting research. The fimbria is particularly suitable for the study of axonal growth in brain as its fibres run as an unbranched bundle, with one surface exposed to the lateral ventricle and thus free from surrounding neuropil. Consequently, it is readily accessible for experimental manipulation. We demonstrate here that fibres of the fimbria in the adult rat brain can be induced to grow in circumstances that neither sever them nor denervate regions to which they normally project.
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GOLDOWITZ, D., COTMAN, C. Induction of extensive fimbrial branching in the adult rat brain. Nature 275, 64–67 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/275064a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/275064a0
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