Preliminary Report on the Use of Fetal Tissue Transplantation to Correct MPTP-Induced Parkinson-Like Syndrome in Primates

A Parkinson-like syndrome was produced in nonhuman primates and successfully reversed through transplantation of heterologous fetal mesencephalic brain tissue. Rigidity and bradykinesia were induced by the chronic administration of N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. Once the deficits were fixed, Macaca mulatta with well-developed Parkinson-like behavior received fetal mesencephalic cell preparations stereotactically implanted into multiple sites of the head of the caudate bilaterally. Both animals demonstrated a normalization of CSF L-dopa and significant improvement in observed activity. The neuropathological studies performed 2 months following transplantation demonstrated successful integration of fetal cells in the caudate.