Nerve regeneration in nerve grafts conditioned by vibration exposure

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Bergman, Stina | Widerberg, Annika | Danielsen, Nils | Lundborg, Göran | Dahlin, Lars B.

Affiliations: Department of Hand Surgery, Malmö University Hospital, S-214 01 Malmö, Sweden

Note: [] Corresponding author.

Abstract: Regeneration distances were studied in nerves from vibration-exposed limbs. One hind limb of anaesthetized rats was attached to a vibration exciter and exposed to vibration (80 Hz/32 m/s2) for 5 h/day for 2 or 5 days. Seven days after the latest vibration period a 10-mm long nerve graft was taken from the vibrated sciatic nerve and sutured into a corresponding defect in the con-tralateral sciatic nerve and vice versa, thereby creating two different models within the same animal: (i) regeneration from a freshly transected unvibrated nerve into a vibrated graft and (ii) regeneration from a vibrated nerve into a fresh nerve graft (vibrated recipient side). Four, 6 or 8 days postoperatively (p.o.) the distances achieved by the regenerating axons were determined using the pinch reflex test. Two days of vibration did not influence the regeneration, but 5 days of vibration reduced the initial delay period and a slight reduction of regeneration rate was observed. After 5 days of vibration an increased regeneration distance was observed in both models at day 4 p.o. and at day 6 p.o. in vibrated grafts. This study demonstrates that vibration can condition peripheral nerves and this may be caused by local changes in the peripheral nerve trunk and in the neuron itself.

Keywords: Vibration, Nerve regeneration, Nerve injury, Conditioning lesion, Schwann cell, Nerve grafts

DOI: 10.3233/RNN-1994-7306

Journal: Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 165-169, 1995