The capability of axons to grow into a peripheral histoincompatible environment, to locate and to functionally innervate their target structures, was examined through documentation of form and function in nonrejected and rejected upper-extremity composite tissue allografts in adult baboons; Papio h. anubis. Immunosuppression with cyclosporine (radioimmunoassay levels in serum ranging from 1000 to 1200 ng/ml, 12 h after intramuscular injection), supplemented with low doses of methylprednisolone (4.4 mg/day) was sufficient to achieve long-term survival of seven neurovascular free flaps and two hand transplants. / Electrophysiological recordings of more than 600 single axons, combined with light microscopy of the target tissues, revealed that muscle and most classes of skin sensory mechanoreceptors within the allografted tissues became reinnervated. Axons which served allografted tissues that had undergone repeated episodes of rejection showed a significant decrease in conduction velocity, and smaller receptive fields of irregular distribution. Processes of allograft rejection, more than any other factor, led to altered axonal response characteristics.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.74321 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Samulack, Donald D. (Donald David) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Physiology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001233169, proquestno: AAINN63615, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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