title: Lithium enhances survival and regrowth of spinal motoneurons after ventral root avulsion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the clinical treatment of the brachial plexus root avulsion (BPRA), reimplantation surgery can not completely repair the motor function of the hand because the axonal growth velocity of the spinal motoneurons (MNs) is too slow to re-innervate the intrinsic hand muscles before muscle atrophy. Here, we investigated whether lithium can enhance the regenerative capacity of the spinal MNs in a rat model of BPRA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The avulsion and immediate reimplantation of the C7 and C8 ventral roots were performed and followed with daily intraperitoneal administration of a therapeutic concentrationof LiCl. After a 20 week long-term rehabilitation, the motor function recovery of the injured forepaw was studied by a grasping test. The survival and regeneration of MNs were checked by choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunofluorescence and by Fluoro-Gold (FG) retrograde labeling through the median and ulnar nerves of the ventral horn MNs. The number and diameter of the nerve fibers in the median nerve were assessed by toluidine blue staining. Our results showed that lithium plus reimplantation therapy resulted in a significantly higher grasping strength of the digits of the injured forepaw. Lithium plus reimplantation allowed 45.1% ± 8.11% of ChAT-positive MNs to survive the injury and increased the number and diameter of nerve fibers in the median nerve. The number of FG-labeled regenerative MNs was significantly elevated in all of the reimplantation animals. Our present data proved that lithium can enhance the regenerative capacity of spinal MNs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that immediate administration of lithium could be used to assist reimplantation surgery in repairing BPRA injuries in clinical treatment.
authors.forename: Rao
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ze-Min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Ying-Qin
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Fa-Huan
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, No, 74, Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, China. zhoulih@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Li-Hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Wutian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005552:Forelimb / Q000503:physiopathology; D018021:Lithium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D011897:Random Allocation; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012092:Replantation / Q000379:methods; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D018021:Lithium Chloride