A Study of Nerve Degeneration and Regeneration

Erlanger, Joseph; Schoepfle, Gordon M.

doi:10.1152/ajplegacy.1946.147.3.550

Cited by 77 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…At early time points of regeneration (<300 d) the latency of the CMAP was 15-20 times normal and the sensory nerve conduction velocity was only lo-20% of normal (data not shown). This reduction in nerve conduction velocity is similar to that described previously in humans (Hodes et al, 1948) and experimental animals (Krarup and Gilliatt, 1985) and is due to the thin myelin sheath and small diameter of the regenerated fibers (see Morphological comparisons below and Berry et al, 1944;Erlanger and Schoepfle, 1946;Krarup et al, 1988). The conduction properties of the regenerated nerve fibers increased rapidly during maturation, as a result of increases in axon caliber and myelination.…”

Section: Serial Electrophysiological Comparisonssupporting

confidence: 84%

Monkey median nerve repaired by nerve graft or collagen nerve guide tube

et al. 1995

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Nerve regeneration was followed in 15 median and 1 ulnar nerve of eight Macaca fascicularis monkeys by serial electrophysiological assessments over a period of three and a half years. Nerve gaps of 5 mm at the wrist were bridged by collagen-based nerve guides, nerve autografts, or direct suture repairs. Thenar muscle reinnervation occurred between 50 and 70 d for all groups, indicating axonal elongation rates of approximately 1 mm/d. The recovery rates of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and the compound sensory action potential (CSAP) amplitudes were significantly slower after direct suture repair compared to the other two procedures, although the final levels of recovery were all comparable. Similar results were achieved in one median and one ulnar nerve following nerve guide repair of a 15 mm nerve gap. The functional reinnervation of Pacinian corpuscles was detected in all cases following either nerve graft or nerve guide repair, with similar amplitudes and latencies of the tactile evoked CSAP for both types of repair. Histological analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the number of myelinated axons in the median nerve distal to the nerve lesions following both nerve graft and nerve guide repairs compared to proximal and normal controls, with significant reductions of fiber diameter and corresponding increases in g-ratio. The return of a bimodal frequency distribution of myelinated axon fiber diameter was confirmed by three-dimensional surface plots which illustrate the frequency distribution of the relationship between fiber diameter and g-ratio. These combined results demonstrate that nerve regeneration after repair of a 5 mm nerve gap with a collagen nerve guide in the nonhuman primate is similar to that after graft repair, and the final level of physiological recovery for both repair procedures is comparable to direct suture repair of the median nerve.

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Section: Serial Electrophysiological Comparisonssupporting

confidence: 84%

Monkey median nerve repaired by nerve graft or collagen nerve guide tube

et al. 1995

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“…In the last case the fastest nerve fibres were still conducting with a velocity of 87% of the control side. Such a finding indicates a sudden loss of excitability of nerve fibres as suggested by other authors (Rosenblueth and Dempsey, 1939;Erlanger and Schoepfle, 1946). To test the assumption of a centrifugal course of degeneration (Rosenblueth and Dempsey, 1939;Parker, 1933) excitability was tested in the proximal and distal part of the sectioned nerve trunk.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…In no case did excitability of the proximal half disappear before that of the distal one. Failure of transmission, therefore, appears to set in simultaneously in all parts of the degenerating nerve (Erlanger and Schoepfle, 1946 The interval at which transmission of nerve impulses fails after nerve section was also determined in the sciatic nerves of rats and guinea-pigs. The results were similar to those obtained in rabbits.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Degeneration of Peripheral Nerve Fibres

Gutmann¹,

Holubar²

1950

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry

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After section of a peripheral nerve a series of processes occurs in the distal stump involving all of its constituents and leading to a breakdown of the axons and their myelin sheaths. This process was first studied by Waller (1852) and is generally known as " Wallerian degeneration ". The first part of Waller's law states that after cutting a nerve degeneration occurs in the distal stump and that degeneration is due to disconnection of the nerve trunk from its " trophic " centre, i.e., the nerve cell.Although it is almost 100 years since this law was conceived, the mechanism of degeneration is still not clear. In order to understand the process it is necessary to investigate the nature of this " trophic influence ". Only in this way can the question, Why does a nerve fibre degenerate ? be solved.Wallerian degeneration results after a certain time in failure of transmission of nerve impulses. The time at which this failure of transmission of nerve impulses can be recorded is apparently not a constant value. It is for instance known that both the metabolic rate and temperature influence the rate of degeneration (Muralt, 1945). Additional information about the factors affecting the rate of degeneration should help in understanding the mechanism of "Wallerian degeneration".It is necessary first to define clearly the criteria of degeneration used. After nerve section degeneration in the physiological sense appears primarily when the nerve fibre will no longer transmit impulses. As a physiological criterion we are therefore using the time at which failure of transmission of nerve impulses can be recorded. A much more complicated problem is the evaluation of the criteria of degeneration in the morphological sense. Muralt (1945) (Johnson, McNabb, and Rossiter, 1949). Valuable quantitative criteria are given by the changes of acetylcholine content in the degenerating nerve (Muralt and Schulthess, 1944), or of cholinesterase content in the degenerating nerve (Sawyer, 1946). Data about enzyme activity in a degenerating nerve will certainly acquire great importance.In this paper we have used physiological and morphological criteria in an attempt to study quantitatively the factors which affect degeneration of peripheral nerve fibres. Methods Rabbits, guinea-pigs, and rats were used in our experiments. In rabbits the peroneal, tibial and, in some experiments, the sural, nerves were used, whereas in rats and guinea-pigs the experiments were done with the whole sciatic nerve. The nerves were cut at an initial operation and, at different times after nerve section, the wounds were reopened and the nerves excised. The excised nerves were placed on platinum electrodes in a thermostat. The temperature of the chamber varied from 36 to 380 C. but was approximately constant for any

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“…In their in vivo studies they claim that failure of conduction occurs simultaneously at both ends of a nerve cut only at the proximal end. Erlanger & Schoepfle (1946) were also unable to establish any centrifugal course of degeneration but observed that failure of conduction appeared at various loci along. the degenerating nerve, the number of these loci appearing to increase towards the distal end of the sectioned nerve.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

The spread of failure of conduction in degenerating mammalian nerve

Causey¹,

Stratmann²

1953

The Journal of Physiology

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After a peripheral nerve has been cut a number of changes occur in the part distal to the site of section, leading ultimately to failure of conduction. In the early stages of degeneration of a mammalian myelinated nerve, the myelin retracts from the nodes of Ranvier leaving a considerable area at the node free from myelin. This retraction involves the nodes in a proximo-distal direction from the site of the cut (Causey & Palmer, 1952.The present investigation was undertaken to discover whether the onset of failure of conduction also proceeds in a proximo-distal direction. The method -used was to stimulate the middle part of the degenerating portion of nerves cut 24-72 hr previously, recording the action potentials at the two ends. METHODSRabbits of about 2-5 kg were anaesthetized with pentobarbitone and ether and the tibial nerve *on one side sectioned under aseptic conditions. Two ligatures were passed round the nerve, tied and the nerve cut between them. The ligatures were then tied together to maintain the normal length of the nerve. The nerve was sectioned within its epineurium and above the main branches of the inferior gluteal artery so as to leave a good blood supply. The animals were allowed to recover, and at periods from 24 to 72 hr later the degenerating portion of the tibial nerve was stimulated in the middle and the action potentials recorded at the two ends.The recording of the action potentials in vivo from the proximal and distal portions of the tibial nerve of the rabbit when stimulated just below the level of the knee has been described in previous papers (Causey & Schoepfle, 1951;Causey & Stratmann, 1953). The method, as described in the latter paper, has been used in this investigation without modification: The unoperated side of each rabbit was used as a normal control, the tibial trunk being sectioned in the region of the pelvic notch immediately before recordings were made, due care being taken to leave as much as possible of the blood supply intact. The response to single stimuli was recorded.In the in vitro experiments, the tibial nerve was excised from the rabbit under urethane anaesthesia and placed in a bath of Krebs-bicarbonate solution (Umbreit, Burris & Stauffer, 1949) through which was bubbled a mixture of 95% 02 and 5 % CO2. The temperature of the bath was maintained at 370 C. The nerve was placed over chlorided silver wire electrodes (0-6 mm) of an exactly similar kind to those used in vivo. The nerve was placed so that the portion in contact with the stimulating ,electrodes was in the same region as that used in the in vivo preparations, that is to say the nerve

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A Study of Nerve Degeneration and Regeneration

Cited by 77 publications

References 0 publications

Monkey median nerve repaired by nerve graft or collagen nerve guide tube

Monkey median nerve repaired by nerve graft or collagen nerve guide tube

The Degeneration of Peripheral Nerve Fibres

The spread of failure of conduction in degenerating mammalian nerve

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