Influence of age on the late retrograde effects of sciatic nerve section in the rat

The influence of age on the late retrograde effects of unilateral sciatic nerve section was investigated in rats. Operations were performed on young rats aged 3 months and older rats aged 15 and 18 months, with survival times ranging from 6 to 15 months depending upon age at the time of operation. As in previous studies, axonal atrophy was found in myelinated fibres proximal to nerve transection. This was observed to be greater in animals operated upon at 3 months of age than in those in which the sciatic nerve was transected at 15 and 18 months. In the sciatic nerve, focal intramyelinic oedema was present at a low frequency on the operated side just proximal to the section at all survival times but not on the unoperated side except in 1 old animal. Its frequency increased with age both in the dorsal and ventral roots on both sides but it was not more common on the operated side. Retrograde axonal atrophy is therefore unlikely to contribute to its occurrence. In the dorsal root ganglia the main abnormality was the presence of vacuolated neurons on the operated side. Nuclear eccentricity was also observed on the operated side in young animals in a proportion of the neurons; its frequency increased with age on the normal side and there was no difference in the older animals between operated and control sides. The possibility is discussed that growth factor deprivation secondary to axotomy is implicated in these changes. If so, there are age differences in its effect in giving rise to axonal atrophy and neuronal vacuolation.