Summary
Sciatic nerves of rats with acrylamide neuropathy were studied by light and electron microscopy. In early stages, in adult animals, massive accumulation of neurofilaments and invaginations of the axolemma were prominent findings, as observed by Prineas in the cat (1969). In later stages, Wallerian degeneration of affected nerves was observed. In the recovering stage, numerous small axonal sprouts were observed in Schwann cells and eventually clusters of numerous small myelinated fibers replaced pre-existing single myelinated fibers. In suckling rats, degeneration of myelin and axons were prominent in an earlier stage of the neuropathy, but even during the period of acrylamide injection, regenerating axonal sprouts and degenerating axons were often found in the same Schwann cells; these findings indicate that younger rats are able to regenerate myelinated nerve fibers at a more intense rate than adult rats.
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This study was supported by Grants NS 09093, NS 05572, and NS 05712, from the National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service.
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Suzuki, K., Pfaff, L.D. Acrylamide neuropathy in rats. Acta Neuropathol 24, 197–213 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687590
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00687590