title: Influence of water immersion stress on peripheral nerve recovery in the rat.
abstract: An experimental study was performed to investigate the relationship between stress and peripheral nerve recovery. Male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were used. The sciatic nerve was crushed unilaterally with an aneurysm clip. Stress was applied by water immersion for 3 h, three times a week, from 1 week preoperatively, and continued for 6 or 8 weeks. The animals' walking tracks were measured every week to evaluate nerve function, and a sciatic functional index (SFI) was calculated. Specimens for histological examination were taken from the nerve at a site distal to the crush injury. By 3 weeks postoperatively, the SFI in the non-stress groups had recovered, but it remained at significantly lower levels in the stress groups (P < 0.01). Histological studies showed that the recovery of nerve fibers was retarded and regenerating axons were smaller in the stress groups. Peripheral nerve recovery after crush injury was suppressed by water-immersion stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amako
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nemoto
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007101:Immersion / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012016:Reference Values; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology