Delayed Spinal Cord–Brachial Plexus Reconnection after C7 Ventral Root Avulsion: The Effect of Reinnervating Motoneurons Rescued by Riluzole Treatment

• DOI: 10.1089/neu.2016.4754
• Publication Date: 2017-06-28T14:24:37Z
• Authors: Balázs Gloviczki; Dénes G. Török; Gábor Márton; László Gál; Tamás Bodzay; Sándor Pintér; Antal Nógrádi
• Keywords: Riluzole; Forelimb

Ventral root avulsion induces dramatic loss of the affected spinal cord motoneurons. The neuroprotective effect riluzole has been previously proven on injured motoneurons: vast majority them can be rescued even when they have no possibility to regenerate their axons. In this study number motoneurons by treatment and capacity reinnervate denervated forelimb muscles was investigated. Surgical reconnection with a peripheral nerve graft between segment C7 established immediately or 1- 3-week delay after avulsion. Avulsion immediate motoneuron pool resulted in moderate reinnervation (281 ± 23 standard error mean [SEM] retrogradely labeled motoneurons), whereas yielded considerably higher numbers reinnervating (548 18 SEM). Reconnection motor 1-week allowed fewer axons targets control riluzole-treated animals (159 21 vs. 395 16 A clinically relevant further reduced (76 22 SEM), but pre-treatment still enabled significant (396 17 SEM) into nerve. These results show that those adult are started injury able if provided conduit several weeks primary injury. This finding suggests partial rescue patients who suffered brachial plexus may provide an available surviving for late reconnection/reimplantation surgeries.