Dr. Yuhong Zhao and co-workers from Sun Yat-sen University in China explored the projection of nestin+ neurons to the olfactory bulb and the time course of nestin+ neurons in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca in adult rats during injury recovery after olfactory nerve transection.

These researchers observed that all nestin+ neurons were double-labeled with ChAT in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca.

Approximately 53.6% of nestin+ neurons were projected to the olfactory bulb and co-labeled with fast blue.

A large number of nestin+ neurons were not present in each region of the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca.

Nestin+ neurons in the medial septum and vertical limb of the diagonal band of Broca showed obvious compensatory function.

The number of nestin+ neurons decreased to a minimum later than nestin-/ChAT+ neurons in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca.

Their results suggest that nestin+ cholinergic neurons may have a closer connection to olfactory bulb neurons.

Nestin+ cholinergic neurons may have a stronger tolerance to injury than Nestin-/ChAT+ neurons.

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To confirm if the increased nestin+ neurons in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca came from the differentiation of immature cells, the rats were injected with BrdU after olfactory nerve transection. Using double fuorescent immunocytochemistry for nestin and BrdU, nestin+ neurons in the olfactory nerve transection group showed clear nestin immunoreactivity in cell bodies. Clear BrdU immunoreactivity was visible in nuclei labeled by red fuorescence in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca (Figure 4B). However, nestin+/BrdU+ neurons were not observed in cells of sagittal or coronal slices.
Credit: Neural Regeneration Research

The relevant study has been published in Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 3, 2014).

Article:

" Special function of nestin+ neurons in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca in adult rats," by Yuhong Zhao, Kaihua Guo, Dongpei Li, Qunfang Yuan, Zhibin Yao (Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China)

Zhao YH, Guo KH, Li DP, Yuan QF, Yao ZB. Special function of nestin+ neurons in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca in adult rats. Neural Regen Res. 2014;9(3):308-317.