Effects of low-energy He-Ne laser irradiation on posttraumatic degeneration of adult rabbit optic nerve.
Axons of the mammalian peripheral and central nervous systems degenerate after nerve injury. We have recently found that He-Ne laser irradiation may prevent some of the consequences of the injury in peripheral nerves of mammals. In the present study, the efficacy of the laser in treating injured neurons of the mammalian CNS was tested. Optic nerves of adult rabbits were exposed daily for 8-14 days to He-Ne laser irradiation (14 min, 15 mW) through the overlying muscles and skin. As a result of this treatment, the injured nerves maintained their histological integrity, which is invariably lost in injured mammalian CNS neurons.
D000818:Animals; D003444:Crush Syndrome / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D053685:Laser Therapy; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000528:radiation effects*; D020221:Optic Nerve Injuries; D011817:Rabbits; D012774:Shock, Traumatic / Q000532:radiotherapy*