Draper ACE, Cahalan SD, Goodwin D, Perkins J, Piercy RJ. Assessing pathological changes within the nucleus ambiguus of horses with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy: An extreme,
length-dependent axonopathy.
Muscle Nerve 2019;
60:762-768. [PMID:
31498901 DOI:
10.1002/mus.26699]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Equine recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) is a naturally occurring model of length-dependent axonopathy characterized by asymmetrical degeneration of recurrent laryngeal nerve axons (RLn). Distal RLn degeneration is marked, but it is unclear whether degeneration extends to include cell bodies (consistent with a neuronopathy).
METHODS
With examiners blinded to RLN severity, brainstem location, and side, we examined correlations between RLN severity (assessed using left distal RLn myelinated axon count) and histopathological features (including chromatolysis and glial responses) in the nucleus ambiguus cell bodies, and myelinated axon count of the right distal RLn of 16 horses.
RESULTS
RLN severity was not associated with RLn cell body number (P > .05), or degeneration. A positive correlation between the left and right distal RLn myelinated axon counts was identified (R2 = 0.57, P < .05).
DISCUSSION
We confirm that RLN, a length-dependent distal axonopathy, occurs in the absence of detectable neuronopathy.
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