Motonuclear changes after cranial nerve injury and regeneration.
Little is known about the mechanisms at play in nerve regeneration after nerve injury. Personal studies are reported regarding motonuclear changes after regeneration of injured cranial nerves, in particular of the facial and oculomotor nerves, as well as the influence that the natural molecule acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) has on post-axotomy cranial nerve motoneuron degeneration after facial and vagus nerve lesions. Adult and newborn animal models were used. Massive motoneuron response after nerve section and reconstruction was observed in the motonuclei of all nerves studied. ALC showed to have significant neuroprotective effects on the degeneration of axotomized motoneurons. Complex quantitative, morphological and somatotopic nuclear changes occurred that sustain new hypotheses regarding the capacities of motoneurons to regenerate and the possibilities of new neuron proliferation. The particularities of such observations are described and discussed.
Fernandez
E
E
Center for Research in Regeneration of the Nervous System, Catholic University Medical School, Rome, Italy.
Pallini
R
R
Lauretti
L
L
La Marca
F
F
Scogna
A
A
Rossi
G F
GF
D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020220:Facial Nerve Injuries; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D009802:Oculomotor Nerve / Q000648:ultrastructure; D061220:Oculomotor Nerve Injuries; D051381:Rats; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology
D018697:Nootropic Agents; D000108:Acetylcarnitine