Accelerating behavioral recovery after cortical lesions

We recently demonstrated that fetal brain implants produced a significant recovery in the ability of insular cortex (IC)-lesioned rats to learn a conditioned taste aversion (CTA). We now report effects on the recovery of CTA and of a second measure of learning, inhibitory avoidance (IA), of supplementing the implants with nerve growth factor (NGF). Four groups of male Sprague-Dawley animals showing disrupted taste aversion following IC lesions, plus two control groups, received different experimental treatments: Group 1, unlesioned control; Group 2, homotopic IC implants without NGF; Groups 3 and 4, IC implants + NGF; Group 5, heterotopic occipital cortical implants + NGF; and Group 6, without an implant as a lesioned control. All groups except Group 4 were trained pre- and postimplant in the CTA paradigm. Two days after CTA testing postimplant, all groups received IA training. Behavioral results showed that insular cortex implants with NGF promoted recovery to control levels of the ability to learn both tasks at 15 days postimplant. Those animals that received occipital implants with NGF or insular cortex with vehicle or remained without implants did not show any significant behavioral recovery at 15 days postimplant. These findings suggest that NGF associated with homotopic implants facilitates recovery of learning abilities in insular cortex-lesioned rats and suggest that similar treatments with NTFs may have analogous effects when lesions involve other brain areas.