Functional and anatomic recovery in the monkey brain following excision of fetal encephalocele

Teratogen-induced herniation of the occipital lobes (encephalocele) in monkey fetuses was repaired by amputation and cranioplasty in utero or postnatally. The in utero-treated animals had normal vision, CT scans indicated normal brain density, and autoradiographic visualization of the striate cortex by the [14C]-2-deoxyglucose mapping revealed almost complete functional and anatomic recovery. The animals treated postnatally were blind, and exhibited significant structural deficit in the operated area.