AbstractPostnatal maturation of nonmyelinated fiber bundles (Schwann bundles) was studied in the sciatic nerves of Snell's dwarf mice. The homozygous recessive of this strain has been previously shown to be characterized by multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies and secondary hypothyroidism.In the normal littermates a reduction occurred between 10 and 14 days in the number of fibers per fascicle, or subdivision, of each Schwann bundle, and by 26 days nearly all of the axons were separately embedded in cytoplasmic furrows of their associated Schwann cells. Only a few large fascicles were seen in normal sciatic nerve specimens at 26 and 50–53 days. In contrast, fiber bundle fascicles in the mutant nerves were still represented, even at 50–53 days, by numerous tightly‐packed axons, as seen in the immature nerves at 10–12 days post‐partum.On the basis of the dwarf's physiological background, these results suggest an involvement of the endocrine system during later stages of peripheral nerve maturation. The possible mechanisms affected by postnatal endocrine deficiency and thereby leading to delayed segregation of nonmyelinated fibers within Schwann bundles are
展开▼
