Summary
Horseradish-peroxidase was used to anterogradely label and thus to trace the growth of corticospinal axons in rats ranging in age from one day to six months. Three to eight HRP-gels were implanted in the left cerebral hemisphere of the cortex. In each spinal cord three levels were studied, the cervical intumescence (C5), the mid-thoracic region (T5) and the lumbar enlargement (L3). The methodology employed for the electron microscopic visualization of HRP has been described previously (Joosten et al. 1987a).
The outgrowth of labelled unmyelinated corticospinal tract axons in the rat spinal cord primarily occurs during the first ten postnatal days. The outgrowth of the main weve of these fibres is preceded by a number of pathfinding axons, characterized by dilatations at their distal ends, the growth cones. By contrast, later appearing unmyelinated axons, which presumably grow along the pathfinding axons, do not exhibit such growth cones. The first labelled pioneer axons can be observed in the cervical intumescence at postnatal day one (P1), in the mid-thoracic region at day three (P3) and in the lumbar enlargement at day five (P5).
Prior to the entrance of the axons, the prospective corticospinal area or the pre-arrival zone is composed of fascicles consisting of unlabelled, unmyelinated fibres surrounded by lucent amorphous structures. During the outgrowth phase of the corticospinal fibres some myelinated axons could be observed within the outgrowth area even before day 14. These axons, however, were never labelled. These findings strongly suggest that the outgrowth area, which is generally denoted as the pyramidal tract, contains other axons besides the corticospinal fibres (and glial cells). The process of myelination of the labelled corticospinal tract axons in the rat spinal cord starts rostrally (C5) at about day 14 and progresses caudally during the third and fourth postnatal weeks. Although myelination seems to be largely complete at day 28 at all three spinal cord levels, some labelled unmyelinated axons are still present in the adult stage.
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Joosten, E.A.J., Gribnau, A.A.M. & Dederen, P.J.W.C. Postnatal development of the corticospinal tract in the rat. Anat Embryol 179, 449–456 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00319587
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00319587