We analyzed aquaporin (AQP) expression in the rat spinal cord following an electrical shock (ES) to elucidate the roles of AQP in spinal cord injury (SCI) induced by an electrical burn. In control animals, AQP1 immunoreactivity was observed in the small diameter dorsal horn fibers of laminae I and II and in astrocytes and neurons in the spinal cord. Both AQP4 and AQP9 immunoreactivity were detected in astrocytes. One week after the ES, AQP1 immunoreactivity in dorsal horn fibers was downregulated to 83, 61, and 33% of control levels following a 1-, 4-, or 6-second ES, respectively. However, AQP1 immunoreactivity in ventral horn neurons increased to 1.3-, 1.5-, and 2.4-fold of control levels following a 1-, 4-, or 6-second ES, respectively. AQP4 immunoreactivity was upregulated after an ES in laminae I and II astrocytes in a stimulus-intensity independent manner. Unlike AQP1 and AQP4, AQP9 immunoreactivity was unaffected by the ES. These findings indicate that altered AQP immunoreactivity may be involved in SCI following an ES.
Animals ; Anterior Horn Cells ; Aquaporins ; Astrocytes ; Burns ; Horns ; Neurons ; Rats ; Shock ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Injuries

Electrodiagnostic studies were carried out in 31 patients with neurological complications of AHC, who were seen at Seoul National University Hospital from August 1981 to February 1982. Age of the patients ranged from 14 to 62 years. Both velocity and distal latency of motor and sensory conduction were normal in the nerves innervating the affected muscles. During the acute phase of motor paralysis, there was an absence of electrical activity in completely paralysed muscles. In partially denervated muscles, there were polyphasic motor unit potentials of normal duration and amplitrde on weak contraction and reduced interference on maximal effort. From the third or fourth week onwards, fibrillation potentials and positive sharp waves at rest were observed in paraspinal muscles in most cases. All the above findings were supporting the view that the principal site of involvement for the paralytic phenomena is at the level of the anterior horn cells or anterior roots.
Anterior Horn Cells ; Conjunctivitis, Acute Hemorrhagic* ; Humans ; Muscles ; Paralysis ; Paraspinal Muscles ; Seoul

The changes of anterior horn cell excitability and conduction of the nervous system by the electrical stimulation of nerve have been reported in both vivo and vitro studies. Purpose of this study is to observe the neurophysiologic changes of nerves by 10 Hz electrical stimulation on polyneuropathic peripheral nerves. Subjects were 18 diabetic polyneuropathic patients diagnosed by the conduction studies. Electrophysiologic studies were performed in both right and left tibial nerves before and after conditioning of the right tibial nerve. Electrophysiologic studies included five tests which were the sural sensory and tibial motor conduction(abductor hallucis), F response(abductor hallucis), H reflex(gastrosoleus) and somatosensory evoked potential(ankle, SEP). Ten Hz rectangular electrical current was used for the conditioning stimulation. It was applied to the popliteal tibial nerve with the tolerable maximal intensity(10-24 mA) for 5 minutes. Following changes were statistically significant in statistics after the conditioning. Prolongation of F latency (p<0.05), increases of F chronodispersion, duration and area(p<0.05), prolongation of H latency(p<0.05), increase of H amplitude(p<0.05), decrease of P1 latency of SEP(p<0.01) and increase of P1N1 amplitude of SEP(p<0.01) were seen in both conditioned and unconditioned legs. Increase of F wave conduction time(FWCT) and decrease of F wave conduction velocity (FWCV) were seen in conditioned leg(p<0.05). Above findings suggest that certain electrical stimulation of polyneuropathic nerve may cause increase of the anterior horn cell excitability, fascilitation of the SEP conduction and slowness of alpha motor conduction to and from the spinal cord.
Anterior Horn Cells ; Electric Stimulation ; Humans ; Leg ; Nervous System ; Peripheral Nerves ; Spinal Cord ; Tibial Nerve*

The association between pediatric Chiari malformation and the development of syringomyelia has been well documented. Scoliosis in the patient with syringomyelia is thought to be secondary to anterior horn cell damage, which innervate the muscles of trunk, by an asymmetrically expanded syrinx. In pediatric patients, the neurologic signs and symptoms due to Chiari malformation and syringomyelia show much lower frequency but the incidence of scoliosis is very high. Thus, the MRI study for the diagnosis of the underlying syringomyelia and Chiari malfornation is essential in pediatric scoliosis patients, which may otherwise be misdiagnosed for idiopathic scoliosis. We present a case of Chiari type I malformation associated with syringomyelia and scoliosis.
Anterior Horn Cells ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Muscles ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Scoliosis* ; Syringomyelia*

OBJECTIVE: This study was proposed to evaluate the electrophysiologic changes in central motor conduction and in silent period (SP) after paraspinal transcutaneous electrical stimulation near caudal area of the spinal cord. METHOD: Conditioning stimulation was applied to T12 paraspinal area for 20 minutes using interferential current therapy (80~100 Hz) in 11 healthy subjects. The amplitude and latency of central motor conduction and duration of SP were measured in motor evoked potential (MEPs) by using magnetic stimulator, before and after the conditioning stimulation. These variables were recorded in both tibialis anterior muscle, innervated from stimulated spinal area, and both abductor pollicis brevis, innervated from cervical cord not directly stimulated by electrical stimulation. RESULTS: After conditioning stimulation, the amplitudes of central motor conduction decreased (p<0.01), and the latencies did not change in both cervical and lumbar muscles in transcranial and spinal MEP studies, and the duration of SP was decreased in same manner (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: These results mean that the excitability of anterior horn cells decreases and the supraspinal inhibitory mechanism of the central motor conduction is suppressed by a certain conditioned electrical cutaneous stimulation in entire spinal cord.
Anterior Horn Cells* ; Electric Stimulation* ; Evoked Potentials, Motor ; Muscles ; Spinal Cord ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

The development of hyperexcitability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a well-known phenomenon. Despite controversy as to the underlying mechanisms, cortical hyperexcitability appears to be closely related to the interplay between excitatory corticomotoneurons and inhibitory interneurons. Hyperexcitability is not a static phenomenon but rather shows a pattern of progression in a spatiotemporal aspect. Cortical hyperexcitability may serve as a trigger to the development of anterior horn cell degeneration through a 'dying forward' process. Hyperexcitability appears to develop during the early disease stages and gradually disappears in the advanced stages of the disease, linked to the destruction of corticomotorneuronal pathways. As such, a more precise interpretation of these unique processes may provide new insight regarding the pathophysiology of ALS and its clinical features. Recently developed technologies such as threshold tracking transcranial magnetic stimulation and automated nerve excitability tests have provided some clues about underlying pathophysiological processes linked to hyperexcitability. Additionally, these novel techniques have enabled clinicians to use the specific finding of hyperexcitability as a useful diagnostic biomarker, enabling clarification of various ALS-mimic syndromes, and the prediction of disease development in pre-symptomatic carriers of familial ALS. In terms of nerve excitability tests for peripheral nerves, an increase in persistent Na+ conductances has been identified as a major determinant of peripheral hyperexcitability in ALS, inversely correlated with the survival in ALS. As such, the present Review will focus primarily on the puzzling theory of hyperexcitability in ALS and summarize clinical and pathophysiological implications for current and future ALS research.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; Anterior Horn Cells ; Forecasting ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Interneurons ; Peripheral Nerves ; Track and Field ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Segmental zoster paresis is a focal, asymmetric limb weakness caused by a herpes zoster infection. It is a rare complication of herpes zoster and the exact pathogenesis is uncertain. However, the most likely cause is the direct spread of the virus from the sensory ganglia to the anterior horn cells or anterior spinal nerve roots. We experienced two patients with segmental zoster paresis who showed both anterior and posterior root involvement on a gadolinium-enhanced MRI, supporting this hypothesis.
Anterior Horn Cells ; Extremities ; Ganglia, Sensory ; Herpes Zoster* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neuroimaging ; Paresis* ; Spinal Nerve Roots* ; Spinal Nerves*

OBJECTIVETo trace the segmental distribution of somatic sensory neurons of the skin and dorsal nerve in the rabbitś penis.

METHODSThe experiment was performed on 8 adult male rabbits with the nerve tracing method of retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), which was injected into the dermis around the penis and the dorsal nerve of the penis. The rabbits were sacrificed five days later to harvest the spinal cord segments and the dorsal root ganglia of lumbosacral segments for histological study.

RESULTSThe HRP tracing showed that a number of labeled HRP positive neurons appeared in spinal ganglia (S2 - S4) in all the rabbits, and distributed segmentally. The counts of the positive neurons different segments were: S2 (215.0 +/- 10.2) , S3 (242.2 +/- 8.3) and S4 (109.7 +/- 8.4) respectively, with statistically significant difference between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONThe rabbit's sensory nerve fibers in both the skin and the dorsal nerve of the penis are rooted in the S2-S4 segments of spinal ganglia, which distribute regularly.

Animals ; Anterior Horn Cells ; anatomy & histology ; Biomarkers ; Male ; Neurons, Afferent ; Neurons, Efferent ; Penis ; innervation ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation ; Skin ; innervation

The determination of motor nerve conduction velocity is an important part to electrodiagnosis. Its value as neurophysiologic investigative procedure has been known for many years, and recently it has been utilized as a chinical diagnostic technic. Its most valuable role is differentiating between those conditions which affect the axon primarily and those which affect the anterior horn cell. Many factors such as temperature in the vicinity of the nerve, diameter of the axon, degree of myelinization, age of the patient, local environment of the nerve and intensity of electrical stimulation have been demonstrated to affect the rate of propagation of impulses along motor fibers. Pathologic conditions affecting the axon usually alter the excitability along involved segments and, therefore, result in reduced conduction velocity. The purpose of this study was to determine the normal data of the motor nerve conduction velocities of median, ulnar, tibial and peroneal nerves in Korean. 1. The motor nerve conduction velocities of median, ulnar, peroneal and tibial nerves were 61.54±6.95 (46.7–94.2) m/sec, 61.74±7.28 (45.6–95.0)m/sec, 48.80±5.54 (38.8–69.9) m/sec, 47.39±4.85 (36.2–64.2 m/sec respectively. 2. The condition velocity in the upper extremities has been found 13.5 m/sec faster than in the lower extremities. 3. A significant decline in motor nerve conduction velocities was noted in the over 60 year old age group. 4. There were significant differences between the sexes.
Anterior Horn Cells ; Axons ; Electric Stimulation ; Electrodiagnosis ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Myelin Sheath ; Neural Conduction ; Peroneal Nerve ; Tibial Nerve ; Upper Extremity

It has been reported that the electrical stimulation of nerves can cause the changes of anterior horn cell excitability and conduction velocity of the nerves in vivo and vitro studies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the electrophysiologic changes of the peripheral nerves near the spinal cord by the electrical stimulation. Subjects were 20 healthy volunteers, with the age of 21 to 27 years. The conditioning current was an interferential current of 10 Hz and 100 Hz with the maximal tolerable intensity (18~20 mA). Conditioning stimulation was applied to the paraspinal area between T9 and T12 for 15 minutes. Before and after the conditioning stimulation, we measured the peripheral nerve conduction, H-reflex, F-wave, and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) of the tibial nerve. The results after the conditioning revealed that the tibial motor and sensory conductions were unchanged but the latency of the H-reflex was significantly prolonged with a significant reduction of H amplitude and H/M ratio (p<0.01). The latency, duration, and F-ratio of the F-wave were significantly increased and the amplitude of the F-wave was significantly reduced (p<0.01). P1 latency was significantly prolonged in the cortical tibial SEP (p<0.01). Change of N1P1 amplitude was not meaningful (p>0.05). There was no statistical difference between the changes by a high or low frequency stimulation. These results suggest that a certain conditioned electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves near the spinal cord may cause the decrement of anterior horn cell excitability, and the inhibition of the alpha motor nerve and sensory nerve conductions near the spinal cord.
Anterior Horn Cells ; Electric Stimulation* ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory ; H-Reflex ; Healthy Volunteers ; Neural Conduction ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Spinal Cord* ; Tibial Nerve