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Peripheral nerve insult induces NMDA receptor‐mediated, delayed degeneration in spinal neurons
Author(s) -
Azkue Jon Jatsu,
Zimmermann Manfred,
Hsieh TsuiFen,
Herdegen Thomas
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1460-9568.1998.00260.x
Subject(s) - lumbar spinal cord , sciatic nerve , spinal cord , nmda receptor , neuroscience , medicine , peripheral nerve injury , receptor , anatomy , biology
Injury of a peripheral nerve gives rise to adaptive functional and structural alterations in spinal neurons. We report that the rearrangement of the spinal circuitry in response to sciatic nerve transection in adult rats involves a delayed mode of degeneration of lumbar spinal cord neurons. Nuclear fragmentation was detected by the TUNEL technique 7 days after sciatic neurectomy but not after 3 or 14 days. Dying cells were preferentially located in the ipsilateral superficial dorsal horn and expressed the neuronal cytoskeletal marker SMI‐31. Degeneration was prevented by continous systemic treatment with the NMDA receptor‐antagonist MK‐801. These data are supportive that apoptosis is induced in spinal neurons in a transsynaptic manner by an early signal from injured afferent fibres via activation of spinal NMDA receptors.