Prolonged electrical stimulation causes no damage to sacral nerve roots in rabbits

Neural Regeneration Research, 2014 · DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.135327 · Published: June 1, 2014

Simple Explanation

This study investigates whether long-term electrical stimulation of the sacral nerve root causes damage in rabbits with spinal cord injury. Researchers applied continuous electrical stimulation and then assessed the nerve cells. The findings indicate that the nerve cells' structure remained unchanged, and there were no significant differences in apoptosis-related protein expression after electrical stimulation. The research suggests that rabbit sacral nerve roots can tolerate prolonged electrical stimulation without apparent damage, offering potential for clinical applications in bladder reconstruction.

Study Duration

60 days

Participants

30 adult New Zealand white rabbits

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
The structure of nerve cells in the anterior sacral nerve roots was unchanged in spinal cord injury rabbits after electrical stimulation, compared with normal rabbits.
2
There was no significant difference in the expression of apoptosis-related proteins such as Bax, Caspase-3, and Bcl-2 after electrical stimulation.
3
Neurons in the rabbit sacral nerve roots tolerate electrical stimulation, even after long-term anode block electrical stimulation.

Research Summary

This study aimed to determine if long-term anode block electrical stimulation causes damage to the sacral nerve root in rabbits with complete spinal cord injury. The results indicated that the structure of nerve cells in the anterior sacral nerve roots remained unchanged after electrical stimulation, and there were no significant differences in the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. The study concluded that neurons in the rabbit sacral nerve roots can tolerate electrical stimulation, even after long-term anode block electrical stimulation, suggesting the safety of this approach.

Practical Implications

Clinical Application

The study provides evidence supporting the clinical application of sacral nerve root stimulation for bladder reconstruction after spinal cord injury, suggesting it is safe concerning nerve root damage.

Parameter Safety

The specific electrical stimulation parameters used in this study (pulse width of 300 μs, current intensity of 1.05 mA, frequency of 20 Hz, duration of 5 seconds, and intervals of 10 seconds) appear to be safe for long-term use.

Further Animal Experiments

The findings encourage further animal experiments to verify the safety of this stimulation technique and its parameters before human trials.

Study Limitations

1
Rabbits cannot survive for a long period following paraplegia, and it is thus difficult to detect the effect of long-term electrical stimulation on sacral nerve roots.
2
The number of rabbits available for final analysis was reduced due to deaths during electrical stimulation and exclusion after urodynamic examination.
3
The study focused on specific electrical stimulation parameters; the effect of varying intensity, frequency, and pulse width on nerve tissue remains unclear.

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