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Long-term effects of ionizing radiation on the rat spinal cord: intramedullary connective tissue formation.

Light microscopy was used to evaluate the effects of ionizing radiation on spinal cords of rats irradiated when three days of age and killed at intervals up to 28 months after irradiation. The amounts of x-rays administered (2,000 R; 1,000 R; 500 R) were those which had been demonstrated by short-term studies to cause either no histopathologic changes or only transient, reparable alterations. The most significant and previously unreported finding was the development, usually restricted to the gray matter, of elongated, spindle-shaped cells that produce prodigious amounts of fibers clearly demonstrated by the Wilder's reticular stain. In cases where extensive cellular development had occurred, these cells were oriented around the perikarya of the large ventral motor neurons and formed a well-developed capsule of reticular fibers. This phenomenon occurred more frequently in rats receiving the greater amounts of radiation and killed 12 months or more after exposure. The other observation of interest was the development of lesser amounts of connective tissue-producing cells in the dorsal gray matter, where these cells were seen initially in the substantia gelatinosa. The significance of these changes is discussed in relation to previously reported long-term effects of ionizing radiation on the central nervous system. (auth)