Regeneration distal to a prolonged conduction block

Abstract

In 6 baboons a tourniquet round the knee was used to produce a prolonged local conduction block. This was followed, within a few days, by a surgical crush of the tibial or deep peroneal nerve at the ankle, in order to produce Wallerian degeneration distally. Electrophysiological recordings from small foot muscles were then used to study the time-course of regeneration in motor fibres. When the results were compared with those from crushed but unblocked nerves of the opposite leg, there was no evidence that either reinnervation of muscles or the subsequent maturation of the regenerating motor nerve fibres was delayed by the prolonged proximal conduction block.