TEMPORAL NEUROTRANSMITTER CONDITIONING RESTORES THE FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY OF ADULT SPINAL-CORD NEURONS IN LONG-TERM CULTURE

Exp Neurol, 2008 · DOI: · Published: January 1, 2008

Simple Explanation

This study focuses on culturing adult mammalian spinal-cord neurons to better understand and treat neurological disorders like spinal cord injury. The challenge has been the limited functional recovery of these cells in culture. The researchers discovered that specific temporal doses of neurotransmitters (serotonin, glutamate, and acetylcholine) can fully restore the electrophysiological function of these neurons when cultured under defined serum-free conditions. Approximately 60% of the treated neurons regained their ability to fire single, double, and multiple action potentials, indicating a significant recovery of their electrical signaling capabilities.

Study Duration

8-10 weeks

Participants

Adult rats (4–6 months old)

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Temporal incubation with serotonin, glutamate, and acetylcholine-chloride leads to full electrophysiological functional recovery of adult mammalian spinal-cord neurons in culture.
2
Approximately 60% of neurons treated with the neurotransmitter sequence regained the ability to fire single, double, and multiple action potentials.
3
The inward current was the only parameter that differed significantly (p = 0.01) between the different groups of neurons.

Research Summary

The study addresses the challenge of culturing functional adult mammalian spinal-cord neurons for understanding and treating neurological disorders, particularly spinal cord injury. It demonstrates that temporal doses of serotonin, glutamate, and acetylcholine-chloride can restore the electrophysiological function of adult spinal-cord neurons in serum-free culture, with approximately 60% regaining their ability to fire action potentials. The findings suggest that extracellular neurotransmitters may play a role in shaping synaptic activity in vivo and could potentially be used to differentiate stem cells or promote functional recovery of damaged neurons.

Practical Implications

Drug Screening

Functional in vitro model systems could be useful for screening different novel and putative drug candidates for CNS repair and degenerative diseases of the CNS.

Stem Cell Differentiation

The neurotransmitter strategy could be exploited to differentiate stem cells to form neurons.

Therapeutic Target

The study supports the hypothesis that extracellular neurotransmitters may be involved in shaping synaptic activity in vivo, suggesting potential therapeutic targets.

Study Limitations

1
Specific areas of the spinal cord were not selected for isolation and culture, suggesting that the culture contains a mixture of ventral horn motoneurons, dorsal horn neurons and interneurons.
2
The culture contained 30–40% of GFAP positive cells although the proliferative potential of these cells was limited by the composition of the defined culture conditions used.
3
The study only evaluated the electrical activity of neurons and did not assess other aspects of neuronal function, such as synapse formation or neurotransmitter release.

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