Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Endogenous ionic currents traverse intact and damaged bone.

R B Borgens

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |August 3, 1984
    PubMed
    Summary

    Living bone generates electric "fracture currents" essential for healing. These currents, similar to clinical treatments, suggest electrical defects may cause bone nonunions.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Effects of applied electric fields on clinical cases of complete paraplegia in dogs.

    Restorative neurology and neuroscience·2011
    Same author

    Delayed application of direct current electric fields in experimental spinal cord injuries.

    Restorative neurology and neuroscience·2011
    Same author

    4-Aminopyridine derivatives enhance impulse conduction in guinea-pig spinal cord following traumatic injury.

    Neuroscience·2007
    Same author

    A comparative study of the quantitative accuracy of three-dimensional reconstructions of spinal cord from serial histological sections.

    Journal of microscopy·2003
    Same author

    Rapid recovery from spinal cord injury after subcutaneously administered polyethylene glycol.

    Journal of neuroscience research·2001
    Same author

    An oscillating extracellular voltage gradient reduces the density and influences the orientation of astrocytes in injured mammalian spinal cord.

    Journal of neurocytology·2001
    JoVE
    x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
    ABOUT JoVE
    OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
    AUTHORS
    Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
    LIBRARIANS
    TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
    RESEARCH
    JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
    EDUCATION
    JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
    Terms & Conditions of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Policies

    Area of Science:

    • Biophysics
    • Biomaterials Science
    • Orthopedic Research

    Background:

    • Living bone generates endogenous electric currents, termed "fracture currents," at sites of damage.
    • These currents have two components: a deformation-dependent transient current and a stable, ion-driven cellular current.
    • The cellular component is primarily carried by chloride ions, with contributions from sodium, magnesium, and calcium ions.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the nature and components of endogenous fracture currents.
    • To compare the characteristics of endogenous fracture currents with clinically applied electrical stimulation for bone repair.
    • To explore the potential role of electrophysiological defects in biological nonunions.

    Main Methods:

    • Analysis of the two distinct components of fracture currents: deformation-dependent and cellular.
    • Identification of ion species responsible for carrying the stable, persistent current.
    • Comparison of endogenous fracture current properties (polarity, magnitude) with established clinical electrical stimulation parameters.

    Main Results:

    • Fracture currents comprise a transient, deformation-dependent component and a stable, cellularly driven component.
    • The stable component is predominantly carried by chloride ions, supplemented by sodium, magnesium, and calcium ions.
    • Endogenous fracture currents exhibit similar polarity and magnitude to clinically effective currents used for treating bone nonunions.

    Conclusions:

    • The cellularly driven component of fracture currents represents a persistent biological electrical field at injury sites.
    • The similarity between endogenous and therapeutic currents suggests a potential electrophysiological basis for impaired bone healing in nonunions.
    • Defects in the electrophysiology of bone repair may underlie the failure of chronic nonunions to heal.

    Related Experiment Videos