Behavioral effects of neural transplants into the intact striatum

The behavioral effects of fetal brain tissue and adrenal medulla transplants into the intact striatum of rats were investigated. Following a bilateral injection of 1.5, 3 or 6 microliters of fetal striatal tissue, a volume-related weight loss was found in all transplanted groups, including the SHAM group, during the first 7 days after the surgery. Rearing behavior was changed in a transplant volume-related manner. Histological analysis suggested that the locomotor effects of transplants into the intact striatum are related to the volume of the transplants. Following bilateral transplantation of fetal cortex (CTX), substantia nigra (SN), striatum (STR), or adrenal medulla (AM) into the striatum, the different behavioral deficits were observed among these transplant groups. The SN group showed a decrease in spontaneous locomotion, significantly increased rearing activity in response to administration of amphetamine, reduction of food intake and water intake and a reduction in body weight. The CTX and AM groups showed a marked increase in spontaneous rearing activities. Hyporesponsiveness to the administration of apomorphine (1 mg/kg) and amphetamine (1 mg/kg) was evident in the CTX, STR, AM groups and SHAM groups. In contrast, the haloperidol-induced catalepsy scores of the CTX, STR, SN and AM were significantly higher than those of a normal control group. In addition, the CTX group showed a deficit in the delayed reward alternation test. These results indicated that the behavioral deficits produced by transplants into normal striatum may be related to both mechanical destruction due to transplant expansion and specific neurochemical interactions of each tissue type between the host and the transplant. Therefore, potential negative consequences of neural transplantation therapy should be considered as well as the beneficial effects.