Mj. Park et al., IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EVIDENCE FOR SPROUTING OF VENTRAL ROOT AFFERENTS AFTER NEONATAL SCIATIC NEURECTOMY IN THE RAT, Neuroscience letters, 165(1-2), 1994, pp. 125-128
The present study demonstrates that afferent fibers in the rat ventral
root sprout after transection of the neonatal sciatic nerve. The key
data are that the number of unmyelinated fibers increased dramatically
in the L(5) ventral roots and about half of these unmyelinated fibers
were labeled with antibody to growth associated phosphoprotein (GAP-4
3), suggesting that they are regenerating axons. Furthermore, these fi
bers survived in the distal stump of the acutely cut ventral root, sug
gesting that they are afferent fibers. The results provide direct evid
ence for sprouting of afferent fibers in the ventral root induced by a
neonatal peripheral nerve lesion.