Reinnervation of the rat biceps brachii muscle through the cellular and acellular nerve grafts introduced into the ventral horn of the spinal cord
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2000 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | The AANS-CNS Book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Neurology, neurosurgery, neurosciences |
| Keywords | acellular; cellular; nerve graft |
| Description | The cellular and acellular nerve grafts were utilized to repair a functional connection between the motoneuron pool of the cervical spinal cord and the biceps brachii muscle through the musculocutaneous nerve. The were sutured with either cellular and acellular nerve grafts prepared from the saphenous nerve of the same animal. The one end of graft was sutured with the musculocutaneous nerve stump, the opposite end of the graft was introduced into the cervical spinal cord cranially to the avulsed C5 ventral root. The functional reinnervation of the biceps brachii muscle was evaluated by means of the behavioral (grooming) test, and electrophysiological methods. The presence of myelinated and unmyelinated axons in the nerve grafts and the musculocutaneous nerve stump was demonstrated by light and electron microscope. Our results demonstrate reinnervation of the musculocutaneous nerve via both cellular and acellular nerve grafts by axonal sprouts of the cervical motoneurons. Prior to axon regeneration, the acellular nerve graft was repopulated by Schwann cells migrating from the musculocutaneous nerve stump. The reinnervation by the way of acellular nerve graft was delayed and worse compared with the cellular graft. |
| Related projects: |