Electrical Stimulation to Enhance Axon Regeneration After Peripheral Nerve Injuries in Animal Models and Humans

摘要: Injured peripheral nerves regenerate their lost axons but functional recovery in humans is frequently disappointing. This so particularly when injuries require regeneration over long distances and/or time periods. Fat replacement of chronically denervated muscles, a commonly accepted explanation, does not account for poor recovery. Rather, the basis nerve transient expression growth-associated genes that accounts declining regenerative capacity neurons and support Schwann cells time. Brief low-frequency electrical stimulation accelerates motor sensory axon outgrowth across injury sites that, even after delayed surgical repair injured animal models patients, enhances target reinnervation. The elevates neuronal cyclic adenosine monophosphate and, turn, neurotrophic factors other genes, including cytoskeletal proteins. Electrical muscles immediately transection also muscle reinnervation but, at this time, how daily requirement long-duration pulses can be delivered to remains practical issue prior translation patients. Finally, technique inserting autologous grafts bridge between donor an adjacent recipient stump significantly improves repair, sustaining regeneration. These reviewed methods promote enhance are sufficiently promising early clinic.