Figure 9
A quantitative analysis of the effect of spinalization and locomotor training on BDNF immunoreactivity in the lumbar (L3/L4) segments of the spinal cord. A. Staining intensity of BDNF immunoreactivity (IR) measured in neuronal perikarya of lamina IX labeled with Kaplan's antibody (mean ± SEM). Locomotor training of spinal animals led to 20% increase of perikaryonal expression of BDNF IR within the profiles of the motor nuclei. B. A comparison of BDNF IR in the perikarya of sized cells in the latero-dorsal (LD), ventro-lateral (VL), and ventro-medial (VM) motor nuclei. Note, that in the VL and LD nuclei, two subpopulations of BDNF IR cells, those ranging between 100 and 400 μm2 and those above 1000 μm2, tended to be more numerous in spinal trained than in spinal or intact animals. Bars in A and B represent means ± SEM from five intact, five spinal and four spinal trained rats.