Motoneurons undergo retrograde degeneration following axonal injuries. The degree of degeneration varies with types of injuries, proximity of injury site to the cell body, species, and age of the animal. Unlike other injuries, spinal root avulsion induces a rapid and massive cell loss of the motoneurons. It not only provides a mean to study the degenerative changes of spinal motoneurons but also resembles the brachial plexus injury in human. Despite being situated in the central nervous system, motoneurons have a strong ability to regenerate under a suitable environment. We herein present step-by-step procedures for performing extravertebral and intravertebral avulsion at seventh cervical segment in rat spinal cord and peripheral nerve implantation to allow regeneration of the motoneurons.
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Chu, TH., Wu, W. (2009). Spinal Root Avulsion and Repair Model. In: Chen, J., Xu, Z.C., Xu, XM., Zhang, J.H. (eds) Animal Models of Acute Neurological Injuries. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-185-1_42
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-185-1_42
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