Collateral Innervation of Muscle Fibres by Motor Axons of Dystrophic Motor Units

摘要

MUSCULAR dystrophy refers to a group of genetic degenerative diseases in which the skeletal muscle fibres undergo a progressive disintegration and are eventually replaced by fat or connective tissue. Besides these degenerative changes resulting in severe atrophy and paresis, the histological study of biopsy specimens also discloses scattered small areas of basophilic sarcoplasm containing increased RNA and nuclei with prominent nucleoli1-3. The true incidence and functional significance of such signs of attempted muscle fibre regeneration are still uncertain. The electrophysiological data to be presented emphasise that motor axons innervating motor units affected by the disease retain the capacity to successfully innervate additional muscle fibres through collateral sprouts. © 1973 Nature Publishing Group.