Neurotrophic effects of hippocampal extracts on medial septal nucleus in vitro

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

68 Scopus citations

Abstract

Within peripheral sympathetic and sensory systems, target tissue provides diffusible factors such as nerve growth factor that influence neuronal survival, growth, and differentiation. To determine whether target tissue may exert retrograde effects within the central nervous system, we have used hippocampus as a source of neurotrophic factors and cultured medial septal nucleus explants as a source of neurons that may respond to such factors. Soluble extracts from rat hippocampus enhance cholinergic activity (choline acetyltransferase, choline uptake, acetylcholine synthesis) of the rat medial septal nucleus cultured in serum-free defined medium. The enhancement is dose dependent, relatively specific for hippocampus, and varies with age, reaching a peak in 2- to 3-week-old rat hippocampus. The enhancement activity of the hippocampal extract appears to be mediated by protease-sensitive polypeptide(s) that differ from nerve growth factor in biological and chemical characteristics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2567-2571
Number of pages5
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume81
Issue number8 I
DOIs
StatePublished - 1984

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Neurotrophic effects of hippocampal extracts on medial septal nucleus in vitro'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this