Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 12, 3282-3290, Copyright © 1992 by Society for Neuroscience
Habenula and thalamus cell transplants restore normal sleep behaviors disrupted by denervation of the interpeduncular nucleus
F Haun, TC Eckenrode and M Murray
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19129.
The preceding companion study (Eckenrode et al., 1992) showed that cell
suspension transplants of fetal habenula cells placed near the
interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) following lesions of the fasciculus
retroflexus (FR) restore the normal pattern of substance P (SP) staining in
habenular target subnuclei of the IPN in both perinatal and adult hosts,
and restore ChAT staining in the IPN of perinatal hosts. Similarly placed
transplants of fetal thalamus cells only restore ChAT staining in the IPN
of adult hosts. In this study, we examined the functional significance of
these restored staining patterns. We used a behavioral measure of the
integrity of REM-stage and non-REM-stage sleep, the "flower pot" test, and
assayed (1) normal adult rats, (2) FR- lesioned control animals (neonatal
or adult operates), (3) animals receiving FR lesions and transplants of
fetal habenula cells (perinatal or adult hosts), and (4) animals receiving
FR lesions and transplants of fetal thalamus cells (adult hosts). FR
lesions decrease markedly the muscle atonia component of REM sleep and
reduce duration of sleep episodes. Transplants that restore SP staining in
the IPN (habenular transplants into either perinatal or adult lesion hosts)
restore normal frequency of REM atonia; transplants that restore ChAT
staining (habenular transplants into perinatal hosts or thalamic
transplants into adult hosts) restore normal duration of sleep episodes.
The number of SP-immunoreactive cells in the transplants predicts recovery
of REM atonia, and the number of ChAT cells in habenular (but not thalamic)
transplants predicts restoration of sleep duration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT
250 WORDS)
