LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Electrical stimulation accelerates Wallerian degeneration and promotes nerve regeneration after sciatic nerve injury

Photo from wikipedia

Following peripheral nerve injury (PNI), Wallerian degeneration (WD) in the distal stump can generate a microenvironment favorable for nerve regeneration. Brief low‐frequency electrical stimulation (ES) is an effective treatment for… Click to show full abstract

Following peripheral nerve injury (PNI), Wallerian degeneration (WD) in the distal stump can generate a microenvironment favorable for nerve regeneration. Brief low‐frequency electrical stimulation (ES) is an effective treatment for PNI, but the mechanism underlying its effect on WD remains unclear. Therefore, we hypothesized that ES could enhance nerve regeneration by accelerating WD. To verify this hypothesis, we used a rat model of sciatic nerve transection and provided ES at the distal stump of the injured nerve. The injured nerve was then evaluated after 1, 4, 7, 14 and 21 days post injury (dpi). The results showed that ES significantly promoted the degeneration and clearance of axons and myelin, and the dedifferentiation of Schwann cells. It upregulated the expression of BDNF and NGF and increased the number of monocytes and macrophages. Through transcriptome sequencing, we systematically investigated the effect of ES on the molecular processes involved in WD at 4 dpi. Evaluation of nerves bridged using silicone tubing after transection showed that ES accelerated early axonal and vascular regeneration while delaying gastrocnemius atrophy. These results demonstrate that ES promotes nerve regeneration by accelerating WD and upregulating the expression of neurotrophic factors.

Keywords: nerve injury; regeneration; degeneration; nerve regeneration

Journal Title: Glia
Year Published: 2022

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.