Open AccessMorphologic and Quantitative Changes in Neurotransmitters in the Lumbar Spinal Cord After Acute or Chronic Mechanical Compression of the Cauda Equina
Author(s) -
Mamoru Kawakami,
Testsuya Tamaki
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
spine (philadelphia, pa. 1976)/spine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.657
H-Index - 254
eISSN - 1528-1159
pISSN - 0362-2436
DOI - 10.1097/00007632-199203001-00003
Subject(s) - cauda equina , medicine , lumbar , spinal cord , substance p , nerve root , lumbar spinal cord , anatomy , norepinephrine , pathology , endocrinology , neuropeptide , dopamine , receptor , psychiatry
Changes in the neurotransmitters associated with pain transmission and regulation in the lumbar spinal cord were studied after acute or chronic mechanical compression of the cauda equina in rats. Using glyoxylic acid histofluorescence and immunohistochemical methods, it was morphologically apparent that substance P-containing nerve ending were decreased after chronic compression of the cauda equina. Somatostatin nerve terminals were reduced, and aminergic fibers and serotonin were enhanced after both acute and chronic mechanical compressions. In addition, quantitative analysis revealed that the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin remained elevated after mechanical compression of the cauda equina. It is suggested that pain in the lower back and extremities after mechanical compression of the cauda equina is controlled by these complicated changes of neurotransmitters in the lumbar spinal cord.