The regenerated spinal cord of the lizard, Anolis, was studied with the aid of the light and electron microscopy. The regenerated cord consists of an ependymal epithelium, descending central nerve fibers and the connective tissue of meninges. The ependymal tube is a discrete entity and is separated from the surrounding connective tissue by a basement lamina. The ependymal tube is composed of a morphologically homogeneous epithelial cell population. The ependymal cell itself fits closely the previous descriptions of the ependymal tanycyte.The majority of the regenerated central nerve fibers are contained within the ependymal tube and are fasciculated in longitudinal rows between the basal processes of adjacent ependyma cells. This association of regenerated central fibers and the ependymal tube and its relation to guidance of intercentral fiber regeneration is discussed,
The present work describes the ultrastructure of the spinal cord in the regenerating tail of the lizard, Anolis. The distal growing region of the tail contains the advancing ependymal tube which is relatively devoid of axons but already contains channels between ependymal cell processes which anticipate their ingrowth, More proximally, fascicles of naked axons having their origin in the stump are present in the ependymal channels. Therefore, the pattern of fiber regeneration in the spinal cord is prescribed by the ependyma and not by the growing axons. Details of the ultrastructure of proximal, intermediate, and distal regions of the regenerate are reported. Particular attention is paid to the structure and differentiation of the ependymal cells and the relation of the ependyma to other glial cells, to nerve fibers, and to meningeal tissues.
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