Region-specific activation of microglial cells in the rat septal complex following fimbria-fornix transection

Studies of postlesional microglial activation may gain insight into microglia/neuronal interactions in processes of neurodegeneration. We compared the microglial response after axotomy of septohippocampal projection neurons with that seen after selective immunolesioning of cholinergic septohippocampal neurons with the immunotoxin 192 IgG-saporin. Using the microglial marker isolectin B-4 from Griffonia simplicifolia (GSA I-B-4), we found striking differences in the microglial response between these two lesion paradigms. Following axotomy of septohippocampal neurons by fimbria-fornix transection (ff-t), there was only a moderate and short-lasting microglial reaction in the medial septum (MS) in the early postlesion period. Prelabeling of septohippocampal neurons with Fluoro-Gold (FG prior to axotomy revealed the survival of most neurons, and only very rarely were microglial cells observed that had phagocytosed FG-labeled debris. In the lateral septum (LS) containing the degenerating terminals of hippocamposeptal fibers transected by ff-t, a heavy reaction of lectin-labeled activated microglial cells associated with high phagocytotic activity was noticed. Unexpectedly, after a long survival time (6 months) following ff-t, we observed an increase in microglial GSA I-B-4 labeling in the MS. In contrast, an inverse pattern of the microglial response, i.e., a strong initial reaction in the MS and very little microglial activation in the LS, was observed after immunolesioning. Our results indicate that the microglial reaction in the MS following ff-t differs substantially from that seen in other models of axotomy. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.