Pathological verification of corticospinal tract Wallerian degeneration in a rat model of brain ischemia

摘要

Although neuroimaging is commonly utilized to study Wallerian degeneration,it cannot display Wallerian degeneration early after brain injury.In the present study,we attempted to examine pathologically the process of Wallerian degeneration early after brain injury.Cerebral peduncle demyelination was observed at 3 weeks post brain ischemia,followed by demyelination in the cervical enlargement at 6 weeks.Anterograde tracing of the corticospinal tract with biotinylated dextran amine showed that following serious neurologic deficit,the tracing of the corticospinal tract of the internal capsule,cerebral peduncle,and cervical enlargement indicated serious Wallerian degeneration.