In an effort to develop a method of tissue injury which would provide a model for the study of axonal regrowth in adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS), we have analyzed the effects of freezing in the dorsal columns of more than 200 rat spinal cords. The effects of temperature and time of exposure upon the size, shape, distribution and histologic characteristics of the lesion have been assessed during the first seven days following the injury. The upper threshold for injury occurs at -3 degrees C for 15 minutes. Between -3 degrees C and -12 degrees C the tissue changes vary in extent and characteristics. Selective damage to axons and myelin occurs with sparing of the supportive cells followed by proliferation of a cellular matrix. At seven days, the lesions produced by -8 degrees C for 15 to 60 minutes have neither axons nor myelin sheaths and consist of a dense cellular matrix of macrophages and presumed glial cells. With these tissue characteristics, and the preservation of tissue continuity without obstructive barriers, this model would appear to be potentially suitable for the study of axonal regrowth potential in mammalian CNS.