title: Freeze-fracture studies of reactive myelinated nerve fibres after diffuse axonal injury.
abstract: We have studied the axonal and myelin sheath response in diffuse axonal injury after angular acceleration using the freeze-fracture and thin section techniques. It was found that the glial-axonal junction was intact until 1 h after injury. But upon loss of the nodal axolemma specialisations, after 3 to 4 h, the dimeric particles of the glial-axonal junction (GAJ) were lost and, by 6 h, the myelin lamellae became separated from the axonal remnant. There was a correlated loss of glial membrane specialisations of the GAJ during this separation. In the internodal region a suggestion of membrane damage occurred after 20 min but discrete myelin dislocations (particle-free areas) were not found until 1-h survival and were extensive by 6 h. Areas of loosely organised myelin occurred between intact axons at 7-28 days after injury. No evidence for growth cone formation was obtained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kansagra
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Gennarelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010215:Papio; D013997:Time Factors