Astrocytic reactions in spinal gray matter following sciatic axotomy

Astrocytic responses following unilateral sciatic nerve axotomy were examined in the spinal gray matter. Using an antiserum to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), immunoreactive astrocytes were studied in both dorsal and ventral gray matter at intervals from 2 days through 34 days post-axotomy. In all axotomized animals, increased numbers of strongly immunoreactive astrocytes were present in the gray matter ipsilateral to the surgery. Such astrocytes were absent from the contralateral intact side and from gray matter bilaterally in adjacent spinal segments not involved in formation of the sciatic nerve. These GFAP-positive astrocytes occurred not only in association with large motor neurons in the ventral gray matter but also in association with central processes of dorsal root ganglion neurons in the dorsal gray matter. The response was quite rapid, being discernible both dorsally and ventrally as early as the second post-operative day. This increased GFAP immunoreactivity persisted throughout the entire observation period, with the perikarya of large ventral motor neurons appearing to become surrounded or encapsulated by the immunoreactive processes. A further alteration noted at the longest post-operative intervals was the presence in the ventral gray matter of astrocytes appearing to be binucleate. The data obtained indicate that the astrocytic response is not related solely to reactions in motor neurons and, furthermore, the rapidity with which it develops in the dorsal gray matter suggests that its induction is not dependent upon transganglionic degeneration, which others have reported to occur weeks after peripheral nerve injury.