TY - JOUR
T1 - Spontaneous activity of ventral root axons following peripheral nerve injury
AU - Burchiel, K. J.
AU - Russell, L. C.
PY - 1985
Y1 - 1985
N2 - In 18 Sprague-Dawley rats, the left sciatic nerve was divided at the mid-femur level. Seven to 9 days later, microfilament recordings were made from the ipsilateral L-5 ventral root. Spontaneous activity in the ventral root, ranging from 0.1 to 6.1 Hz, was recorded in 12 of the 18 animals. Conduction velocity determinations showed this activity to be in A-beta and A-delta fibers. Recordings in 10 normal L-5 ventral roots from five control rats showed no spontaneous activity. In the rats with sciatic nerve division, the ongoing discharge appeared to originate in the cut end of the nerve since mechanical stimulation of the neuroma produced synchronous ventral root activity. Furthermore, cooling of the neuroma inhibited the spontaneous discharge, whereas with rewarming it returned. Spontaneous ventral root activity was also increased by systemic application of epinephrine. This activity was qualitatively similar to spontaneous activity that has been recorded in dorsal root microfilaments after peripheral nerve injury. The observations of an ongoing discharge in potentially nociceptive ventral root axons subsequent to nerve injury may be relevant to the mechanism of chronic pain of peripheral origin.
AB - In 18 Sprague-Dawley rats, the left sciatic nerve was divided at the mid-femur level. Seven to 9 days later, microfilament recordings were made from the ipsilateral L-5 ventral root. Spontaneous activity in the ventral root, ranging from 0.1 to 6.1 Hz, was recorded in 12 of the 18 animals. Conduction velocity determinations showed this activity to be in A-beta and A-delta fibers. Recordings in 10 normal L-5 ventral roots from five control rats showed no spontaneous activity. In the rats with sciatic nerve division, the ongoing discharge appeared to originate in the cut end of the nerve since mechanical stimulation of the neuroma produced synchronous ventral root activity. Furthermore, cooling of the neuroma inhibited the spontaneous discharge, whereas with rewarming it returned. Spontaneous ventral root activity was also increased by systemic application of epinephrine. This activity was qualitatively similar to spontaneous activity that has been recorded in dorsal root microfilaments after peripheral nerve injury. The observations of an ongoing discharge in potentially nociceptive ventral root axons subsequent to nerve injury may be relevant to the mechanism of chronic pain of peripheral origin.
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U2 - 10.3171/jns.1985.62.3.0408
DO - 10.3171/jns.1985.62.3.0408
M3 - Article
C2 - 3973707
AN - SCOPUS:0022001209
SN - 0022-3085
VL - 62
SP - 408
EP - 413
JO - Journal of neurosurgery
JF - Journal of neurosurgery
IS - 3
ER -