Graft-induced behavioral recovery from subcallosal septohippocampal damage in rats depends on maturity stage of donor tissue (original) (raw)

Electrolytic lesions of the fimbria and dorsal fornix were induced in Long-Evans female rats, followed by intrahippocampal grafts of septal and diagonal band tissue from fetuses of different ages. Behavioral assessments indicated that the maturity of the donor tissue influenced recovery from lesion-induced deficits, with 14-day-old grafts improving learning and 16-day-old grafts enhancing habituation. Acetylcholinesterase histochemistry revealed differences in cholinergic neuron populations between graft types, suggesting that recovery might depend on various neuronal populations and not solely on cholinergic reinnervation.