FYI:NGF: exogenous, intracerebral, intraventricular etc. (fwd)

Eugene Leitl (Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de)
Thu, 6 Feb 1997 21:36:34 +0100 (MET)


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 6 Feb 1997 03:50:40 GMT
From: F. Frank LeFever <flefever@ix.netcom.com>
To: "bionet.neuroscience mail newsgroup" <bionet-news@dl.ac.uk>
Subject: NGF: exogenous, intracerebral, intraventricular etc.

A few years ago, Don Stein reported that intracerebral administratioon
of NGF improved pperformance of rats with cerebral lesions, but not
normal rats; indeed, may have impaired performance of normal rats.

He remarked on how little study of this there had been, but his own
work has gone in a slightly diffeent direction (big focus on hormonal
effects on recovery from brain lesions, especially estrogen and
progesterone), so I am asking for any info about replications,
extensions, other possibly relevant phenomena.

DOES ANYBODY KNOW OF SUBSEQUENT STUDIES INVOLVING INTRACEREBRAL
OR INTRAVENTRICULAR ADMINISTRATION OF NGF IN NORMAL ANIMALS?

Also: not likely that anyhone would ut NGF into brains of normal human
volunteers, BUT in cases of experimental treatment of neurological
cconditions (e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinsonism, etc.) which may have
reported "no effect" (or maybe were NOT reported, because of "no
effect), are there any you know of in which a DETRIMENTAL effect was in
fact observed?

I know oof at least one recent report of hyperalgesia, after PERIPHERAL
injection, but this is not what I'm interested in. I'm looking for
reports of perhaps very subtle decrements in performance, after central
administration, in humans or rodents, or--??

Frank LeFever
New York Neuropsychology Group

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