Stimulation of rat sciatic nerve regeneration with pulsed electromagnetic fields.
The effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) on rat sciatic nerve regeneration after a crush lesion were determined. The rats were placed between a pair of Helmholtz coils and exposed to PEMF of frequency 2 Hz and magnetic flux density of 0.3 mT. A 4 h/day treatment for 3-6 days increased the rate of nerve regeneration by 22%. This stimulatory effect was independent of the orientation of the coils. Exposure times of 1 h/day-10 h/day were equally effective in stimulating nerve regeneration. Rats exposed to PEMF for 4 h/day for 7 days before crush, followed by 3 days after crush without PEMF, also showed significantly increased regeneration. This pre-exposure 'conditioning' effect suggests that PEMF influences regeneration indirectly.
Sisken
B F
BF
Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506.
Kanje
M
M
Lundborg
G
G
Herbst
E
E
Kurtz
W
W
D000818:Animals; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009409:Nerve Crush; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins