Tillotson_1995_Neurosci.Lett_201_69

This study investigated the viability of fetal neocortical block grafts transplanted into adult ischemic cortical lesions. Recipient rats sustained focal ischemic lesions by permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery 4-7 days prior to transplantation. Twenty days later, the animals were sacrificed and the brains examined using triphenyltetrazolium chloride, routine Nissl or acetylcholinesterase histochemistry. Ischemic infarctions were localized to the ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex and transplants were integrated with the host cerebral cortex or striatum. Cholinergic fibers were found crossing the host-transplant interface, presumably innervating the graft. This study demonstrates that fetal neocortical block grafts placed into adult focal ischemic lesions following permanent arterial occlusion can survive and establish connections with the host brain.