Effect of Electrical Stimulation on Denervated Muscle

The possibilities of noninvasive treatment in peripheral nerve injuries are limited. Although it is well known that the severance of a nerve results in paralysis of the dependent tissue, the methods of treating a denervated muscle are still controversial. The most obvious result of denervation is muscle atrophy and paralysis. In 1841 Reid forced the denervated muscle to contract by electrical stimulation to replace the loss of activity and observed that this treatment retarded atrophy. Since then, there has been continuing interest in preventing muscle atrophy with electrotherapy. Peripheral nerve injuries in the two world wars were, for instance, extensively treated with electrical stimula…

Methodische Voraussetzungen für die Diagnose und Verlaufskontrolle von Neuropathien

Unter dem Begriff der Neuropathie versteht Dyck [5] alle Storungen, die primar das periphere Neuron schadigen. Damit werden auserst heterogene Erkrankungen des peripheren Nerven zusammengefast, wobei meist die genaue Kenntnis der Krankheitsursache fehlt und oft auch wenig uber die Pathogenese bekannt ist. Aus dieser Unkenntnis vieler wichtiger Faktoren resultieren die verschiedensten Einteilungsschemata, die sich aus einer unterschiedlichen Gewichtung klinischer, anatomischer und physiologischer Kriterien ergeben. Mit Hilfe elektrophysiologischer Methoden konnen einige funktionelle Aspekte erganzt werden, keineswegs wird dadurch aber eine genauere Wertung morphologischer oder klinischer Asp…

Trainierte Skelettmuskulatur als Herzmuskelersatz: Ein neues Therapiekonzept

Changes of energy metabolism, myosin light chain composition, lactate dehydrogenase isozyme pattern and fibre type distribution of denervated fast-twitch muscle from rabbit after low frequency stimulation

The influence of low frequency (8-10 Hz) electrical stimulation on denervated fast-twitch muscle from rabbit was investigated. Prolonged direct stimulation of denervated muscle resulted in higher oxidative enzyme activities. Furthermore, single fibre analyses for succinate dehydrogenase showed a more uniform distribution of activity in stimulated-denervated muscle when compared to normal muscle. As was also the case following stimulation of innervated muscle, glycolytic enzymes were decreased in activity and the LDH-isozyme pattern was also shifted towards heart type. No change of the myosin light chain pattern could be observed after 56 days of stimulation.