Axonal regeneration from central respiratory neurons of the adult rat into peripheral nerve autografts: effects of graft location within the medulla.

In adult rats, autologous segments of the peroneal nerve were implanted into the medulla oblongata at the level of the obex either on the midline (midline grafts, n = 4), where respiratory axons decussate, or on the left side (lateral grafts, n = 5) in the area of the respiratory cell bodies. Several months after the graft implantation, spontaneous unitary activities (n = 225) were recorded within the grafts and were found to arise from both central respiratory (R, n = 72) and non-respiratory (NR, n = 153) neurons which were giving off regenerated axons along the nerve grafts. The graft reinnervation by respiratory axons was found to be significantly more abundant within the medullary lateral grafts than within the midline grafts. This finding offers further support of the conclusion that the reinnervation of grafts by axons from central neurons is enhanced when the graft is placed proximally to the cell bodies.