Anatomical predictors of behavioral recovery following fetal striatal transplants

The ability of fetal striatal transplants to reverse behavioral deficits produced by kainic acid striatal lesions was assessed in adult female rats. Three groups of animals, including a lesion-only, a lesion and transplant, and a control group were assessed on several measures, including rewarded alternation, a sensorimotor neurological examination and on spontaneous locomotor activity. Anterior-medial striatal lesions led to a decreased performance on the rewarded alternation and sensorimotor neurological examination and caused the animals to be hyperactive in horizontal and stereotypical movements. The transplants partially reversed the rewarded alternation and locomotor deficits, but had little effect on the sensorimotor neurological deficit. Histologically, the transplanted fetal tissue survived well within the kainate-treated striatal region, and partially reversed the lesion-induced cell loss. Neuronal cell counts successfully predicted outcome on several of the behavioral measures, suggesting that the extent of behavioral recovery depends partially on quantitative aspects of the transplantation methodology.