Early development of descending pathways from the brain stem to the spinal cord inXenopus laevis

摘要

The early development of descending pathways from the brain stem to the spinal cord has been studied inXenopus laevistadpoles. The relatively protracted development of this permanently aquatic amphibian as well as its transparency during development make this animal particularly attractive for experimental studies. Between the 5th and 10th myotome the spinal cord was crushed with a thin needle and dry horseradish peroxidase (HRP) crystals were applied. After a survival time of one day the tadpoles were fixed and the brain and spinal cord were stained as a whole according to a modification of the heavy metal intensification of the DAB-reaction, cleared in cedarwood oil and examined as wholemounts.