THE SELECTIVITY OF REGENERATING MOTOR AND SENSORY AXONS

Citation
Y. Maki et al., THE SELECTIVITY OF REGENERATING MOTOR AND SENSORY AXONS, Journal of reconstructive microsurgery, 12(8), 1996, pp. 547-551
Citations number
33
Categorie Soggetti
Surgery
ISSN journal
0743684X
Volume
12
Issue
8
Year of publication
1996
Pages
547 - 551
Database
ISI
SICI code
0743-684X(1996)12:8<547:TSORMA>2.0.ZU;2-5
Abstract
Functional results of peripheral nerve repair have been hampered by mi sdirection of regenerating axons. The purpose of this study was to det ermine in a rat femoral nerve model whether regenerating motor and sen sory axons from a proximal nerve stump select the appropriate distal m otor or sensory branch. In two experiments, the proximal stump of the motor or sensory branches was sutured to the distal motor and sensory stumps, so that the three branches were parallel and the three transec ted ends faced in the same direction. More regenerated axons from both the proximal motor and sensory stumps entered the distal sensory stum p. The number of misdirected axons did not decrease over time. The sel ective regeneration of motor axons toward the distal motor stump could not be validated. In this study, neurotropism appeared to play a meas urable role in sensory axon regeneration, but not in motor axon regene ration. Pruning of the misdirected axons was not demonstrated.