CHANGES IN THE INNERVATION OF RABBIT CRANIOMANDIBULAR JOINT TISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH EXPERIMENTAL INDUCTION OF ANTERIOR DISK DISPLACEMENT - HISTOCHEMICAL AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES

We have previously reported that surgical induction of anterior disk d isplacement (ADD) in a rabbit craniomandibular joint (CMJ) leads to hi stopathological changes consistent with osteoarthritis. This paper rep orts the changes that were noted in the innervation of rabbit CMJ tiss ues following surgical induction of ADD. The right joint of 30 rabbits was exposed surgically and the discal attachments were severed except for the posterior discal attachment (bilaminar zone). The disk was th en displaced anteriorly and sutured to the zygomatic arch. The left jo ints was used as sham-operated control. CMJ tissues were then removed after fixation and processed for histochemical localization of nerve f ibers using the silver impregnation technique and immunohistochemical localization of neurofilaments using monoclonal antibodies. The result s showed an absence of nerve fibers in the control and experimental di sks and their presence in the control and experimental bilaminar zones . The bilaminar zone adhesions to the experimental condyles were also innervated. The spread of nerve fibers into the pathological fibrous a dhesions surrounding the arthritic condyles in this animal model of AD D may indicate a possible mechanism of nociception in this disease.