Figure 1.

Lithium treatment suppressed GSK-3β activation in the avulsion-injured ventral horn. Immunostaining with p-GSK-3β ^Tyr216 on cross-sections of the spinal cord of animals: (A) normal animals, (B) animals which received root avulsion, and (C) animals which received lithium treatment after root avulsion. ((a), (b), (c)) The arrow-pointed areas under higher magnifications. (D) The number of p-GSK-3β ^Tyr216-positive neurons in the ventral horn at 24 h after root avulsion was significantly increased compared with that in the normal ventral horn and treatment with lithium markedly reduced avulsion-induced GSK-3β activation to the normal level (*P < 0.001; scale bar: 180 μm in (A), (B), and (C); 40 μm in (a), (b), and (c)).