Autonomic and motor neuron death is progressive and parallel in a lumbosacral ventral root @entity155 model of XXXX .

@entity4268 @entity1877 @entity155 @entity35 @entity1971 @entity204 @entity528 @entity130
Injuries to the cauda equina of the spinal cord result in autonomic and motor @entity528 . We developed a rodent lumbosacral ventral root @entity130 model of @entity1971 to investigate the lesion effect in the spinal cord. We studied the retrograde effects of a unilateral L5-S2 ventral root @entity155 on efferent preganglionic parasympathetic neurons (PPNs) and pelvic motoneurons in the L6 and S1 segments at 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks postoperatively in the adult male @entity35 . We used Fluoro-Gold-prelabeling techniques, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative stereologic analysis to show an injury-induced progressive and parallel death of PPNs and motoneurons. At 6 weeks after injury, only 22% of PPNs and 16% of motoneurons remained. Furthermore, of the neurons that survived at 6 weeks, the soma volume was reduced by 25% in PPNs and 50% in motoneurons. @entity1877 acetyltransferase ( @entity4268 ) protein was expressed in only 30% of PPNs, but 80% of motoneurons remaining at 1 week postoperatively, suggesting early differential effects between these two neuronal types. However, all remaining PPNs and motoneurons were @entity4268 positive at 4 weeks postoperatively. Nuclear condensation and cleaved caspase-3 were detected in axotomized PPNs and motoneurons, suggesting apoptosis as a contributing mechanism of the @entity204 . We conclude that lumbosacral ventral root avulsions progressively deplete autonomic and motor neurons. The findings suggest that early neuroprotection will be an important consideration in future attempts of treating acute @entity1971 .
