Figure 6.

Photomicrographs illustrating β3-tubulin expression of L5-S1 DRG neurons in culture. Scale bar, 50 μm. Neurons from 1 week SCI animals (B) presented shorter neurites when compared with those from spinal-intact animals (A). In cells obtained from 4 week SCI animals (C) neurites were long and ramified. Neurons from 1 week SCI animals treated with chronic TrkB-Ig₂ had long neurites, which were extremely ramified (D). Similar observations were made in DRG neurons from 4 week SCI rats receiving chronic BDNF, although neurite branching was less exuberant (E). F, G, Graphs indicating the correlation between the mean number of branches with the distance from the soma (μm). F, One week SCI animals treated with TrkB-Ig₂ presented a higher number of branches in short and long distances from the soma (up to 200 μm) when compared with spinal-intact and 1 week SCI animals (*p < 0.05). G, Four week SCI animals presented an increase in the number of branches until 60 μm from the soma, when compared with spinal-intact and 4 week SCI animals treated with BDNF (^#p < 0.05). In contrast, 4 week SCI animals treated with chronic BDNF presented a significant higher number of neurites from 110 to 200 μm (*p < 0.05 vs spinal-intact and 4 week SCI animals).