The effect of duration of muscle denervation on functional recovery in the rat model

✍ Scribed by Jun Kobayashi; Susan E. Mackinnon; Osamu Watanabe; Douglas J. Ball; Xiao Ming Gu; Daniel A. Hunter; William M. Kuzon Jr

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 451 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0148-639X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4598(199707)20:7<858::aid-mus10>3.0.co;2-o

✦ Synopsis

The effect of long-term denervation on neuromuscular recovery was studied in a rat hind limb model. The posterior tibial nerve was transected and repaired immediately or after denervation periods of 2 weeks, or 1, 3, 6, 9, or 12 months. Six months following reconstruction excellent axonal regeneration was seen across all nerve repairs irrespective of periods of denervation. However, there was a precipitous and profound decrease in the recovery of both muscle mass and integrated motor function if the reconstruction was delayed for longer than 1 month. Rather than a progressive change proportional to the length of the denervation period, significant, more discrete changes occurred sometime after 1 month of denervation that precluded a full recovery of muscle mass. Integrated motor function quantified using walking track analysis was impaired even after immediate nerve repair.