Week 5 Flashcards
What do neurones supply
Skeletal muscles via somatic nervous system
Smooth muscles via autonomic nervous system
Glands via autonomic nervous system
Causes for degeneration of nerves
Acquired causes through injury
Genetics of body
Natural processes of ageing
Which neurones have capacity to regenerate and re-innervate effectors
Injured peripheral nerves
CNS neurones don’t regenerate as readily
What does the extent of dysfunction and its severity depend on
Nature of the insult to neurone (or its environment)
Structural features of neurone likely to be affected by insult
Epineurium (superficial)
Perineurium
Endoneurium
Myelin sheath
Axon (deepest)
What attaches adjacent nerve fascicles
Interfascicular bands
What is the system of classification of injuries to nerves based on
Degree to which insult reaches depth of tissue
The measure of depth of tissue is given by layers of ensheathing connective tissue
Seddons’ classification of nerve injuries
Neuropraxia
Axonotmesis
Neurotmesis
What is neuropraxis
When a neurone temporarily loses its ability to function normally this is known as neuropraxis
-injury would be most probably at level of myelin sheath only
-restoration of function would be complete, upon recovery
What is axonotmesis
Usually result of a severe crush injury to a peripheral nerve
Axons of nerve together with their myelin sheaths are damaged
The endoneurium, perineurium, epineurium remain intact
Motor and sensory nerves are affected in same way
Restoration of function can be expected to return fully
What is neurotmesis
When the entire nerve fibre is completely transected or severed
It’s the most severe class of nerve damage according to seddon’s classification system
The axon and connective tissue of nerve are all damaged
Recovery of function doesn’t occur in such nerve injuries
What is the proximal segment
Likely to continue to receive support of cell body
Survives injury
What is the distal segment
Often cut off from cell body
Loses potential for repairs
Loses potential for nutritional support
Becomes vulnerable to phagocytosis by glia
3 classes of glial cells
Myelin forming cells- oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells
Astrocytes- create an environment in which neurones thrive
Microglia- these are immune cells of nervous system
What happens minutes after injury if sustained
The neurone will immediately stop conducting action potentials beyond site of injury
The 2 ends of the cut axon will be exposed and they will start leaking intracellular fluid- axonal transport occurs in both directions
The cut ends will soon pull apart, sealing themselves and swelling at same time
An hour or so after injury is sustained
Synaptic terminal degenerates- accumulation of neurofilaments, vesicles
Astroglia surround terminal normally - they react by causing terminals to be pulled away from postsynaptic cell
Fate of the distal segment of a severed nerve
The segment of the axon distal to site of lesion is never viable
It soon dies as a result of loss of nutritional support from cell body
The axonal segment undergoes Wallerian degeneration
The axon is digested by phagocytes
Tissues that might be preserved are: myelin sheaths, epineurium, perineurium, Endoneurium
These form hollow tubes to guide any new re growth of the end of proximal end
Days to weeks after axotomy
The distal segment stump of axon will undergo Wallerian degeneration (I.e. digested by phagocytes)
Fate of the proximal segment of a severed nerve
Days after sustained injury the proximal segment undergoes chromatolysis
The cell body soon becomes very active producing lots of proteins for repairing cell
The volume of the cell body increases and it also becomes bloated with newly synthesised products
The nucleus of cell is consequently displaced from its central position to peripheral margins of cell body
Then injured nerve soon seals wounded stump to form neuroma
This segment doesn’t die, in some cases the nerve stump soon regenerates to innervate peripheral structures
Fate of the axonal stump on proximal segment of axon
Regenerating axons form many sprouts some of which find Schwann cell tubes
Severing the axon causes degenerative changes in the injured neuron and in the cells that have synaptic connections with injured neuron
Acute phase of denervation muscle that’s not reinnervated
The muscle is immediately paralysed
The muscle will become areflexic
The muscles will start to fasciculate
If muscle is not reinnervated the fasciculations will subside
Muscle will become atonic