Previous studies of the olfactory nerve, mainly in higher vertebrates, have indicated that axonal injury causes total degeneration of the mature neurons, followed by replacement of new neuronal cells arising from undifferentiated mucosal cells. A similar regeneration process was confirmed in the garfish olfactory system. Regeneration of the nerve, crushed 1.5 cm from the cell bodies, is found t...

Tau, a primary component of microtubule-associated protein, promotes microtubule assembly and/or disassembly and maintains the stability of the microtubule structure. Although the importance of tau in neurodegenerative diseases has been well demonstrated, whether tau is involved in peripheral nerve regeneration remains unknown. In the current study, we obtained sciatic nerve tissue from adult r...

We analyzed the role of chondroitin sulfate (CS) glycosaminoglycans, putative inhibitors of axonal regeneration in mammals, in the regenerating visual pathway of adult zebrafish. In the adult, CS immunoreactivity was not detectable before or after an optic nerve crush in the optic nerve and tract but was constitutively present in developing and adult nonretinorecipient pretectal brain nuclei, w...

Double crush syndrome is a distinct compression at two or more locations along the course of a peripheral nerve that can coexist and synergistically increase symptom intensity. In addition, dissatisfaction after treatment at one site may be the result of persistent pathology at another site along a peripheral nerve. Double crush syndrome is a controversial diagnosis; some scientists and surgeon...

The expression of the neurofilament proteins of the goldfish visual pathway reflects the degeneration and regeneration of the optic nerve after nerve crush. To monitor these processes, monoclonal antibodies (mAb) were generated to the intermediate filament proteins of this pathway. The predominant goldfish visual pathway intermediate filament proteins have a molecular weight of 58K and can be s...

Nociceptive sensory neurons (SNs) in Aplysia provide useful models to study both memory and adaptive responses to nerve injury. Induction of long-term memory in many species, including Aplysia, is thought to depend on activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Because Aplysia SNs display similar alterations in models of memory and after nerve injury, a plausible hypothesis is that axoto...

Remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) is a critical step in peripheral nerve regeneration. In fact, in human neuropathies, endoneurial ECM enriched in fibrin and vitronectin associates with poor regeneration and worse clinical prognosis. Accordingly in animal models, modification of the fibrinolytic complex activity has profound effects on nerve regeneration: high fibrinolytic activity and l...