Over the past two decades acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been shown to be present in numerous non-cholinergic and non-cholinoceptive tissues. Interestingly, transient expression of AChE in developing nervous tissue corresponds temporally with neuronal migration and neuritic outgrowth. This observation has led our laboratory to investigate a possible novel, non-cholinergic role for AChE in the development of the nervous system. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the activity of AChE in cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRGN) can be modulated by the substratum. In our current study, we have examined the effects of AChE inhibitor treatment on neuritic outgrowth on the highly permissive substratum Matrigel and the less permissive substratum Collagen Type I. DRGN received serial dilutions of the AChE-specific inhibitor 1,5-bis-(4-allyldimethylammoniumphenyl) pentan-3-one dibromide (BW284c51) ranging from 10(-4) to 10(-7) M. Results showed that neuritic outgrowth was significantly reduced in DRGN grown on Matrigel at 10(-5) and 10(-4) M BW284c51, while outgrowth on Collagen Type I was significantly reduced at 10(-6), 10(-5), and 10(-4) M concentrations of BW284c51. Inhibitor treatment did not affect cell survival and neuritic outgrowth from BW284c51-treated cells recovered to control levels after removal of the inhibitor from the medium. In addition, massive spiraling accumulations of 10 nm filaments were observed in the cell bodies of treated neurons, which resemble neurofibrillary inclusions observed in neuropathological diseases such as Pick's disease. This study demonstrates that AChE inhibitor treatment retards neuritic outgrowth and neuronal migration of cultured DRGN which is accompanied by cytoskeletal abnormalities in the cell body.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)