HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 557/3/879    most recent jphysiol.2004.061804v1 Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Phillips, J. B. Articles by Brown, R. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Phillips, J. B. Articles by Brown, R. A.

¹ Tissue Repair and Engineering Centre, University College London, UK² Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Erasmus MC – University Medical Centre Rotterdam, the Netherlands³ University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, London, UK

Peripheral nerves in the limbs stretch to accommodate changes in length during normal movement. The aim of this study was to determine how stretch is distributed along the nerve relative to local variations in mechanical properties. Deformation (strain) in joint and non-joint regions of rat median and sciatic nerves was measured in situ during limb movement using optical image analysis. In each nerve the strain was significantly greater in the joint rather than the non-joint regions (2-fold in the median nerve, 5- to 10-fold in the sciatic). In addition, this difference in strain was conserved in the median nerve ex vivo, demonstrating an in-built longitudinal heterogeneity of mechanical properties. Tensile testing of isolated samples of joint and non-joint regions of both nerves showed that joint regions were less stiff (more compliant) than their non-joint counterparts with joint: non-joint stiffness ratios of 0.5 ± 0.07 in the median nerve, and 0.8 ± 0.02 in the sciatic. However, no structural differences identified at the light microscope level in fascicular/non-fascicular tissue architecture between these two nerve regions could explain the observed tensile heterogeneity. This identification of localized functional heterogeneity in tensile properties is particularly important in understanding normal dynamic nerve physiology, provides clues to why peripheral nerve repair outcomes are variable, and suggests potential novel therapeutic targets.

(Received 23 January 2004; accepted after revision 31 March 2004; first published online 2 April 2004)
Corresponding author J. Phillips: Tissue Repair and Engineering Centre, University College London, Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Campus, Brockley Hill, Stanmore, Middlesex HA7 4LP, UK. Email: jb.phillips{at}ucl.ac.uk

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Hammarlund, E. M. Jorgensen, and M. J. Bastiani Axons break in animals lacking {beta}-spectrin J. Cell Biol., January 29, 2007; 176(3): 269 - 275. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. S Topp and B. S Boyd Structure and Biomechanics of Peripheral Nerves: Nerve Responses to Physical Stresses and Implications for Physical Therapist Practice Physical Therapy, January 1, 2006; 86(1): 92 - 109. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]