Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Slo1

Title: [Early reactive changes of myelin sheath in the area of myelin sheath gaps (nodes of Ranvier) in nerve fibers (a supravital study)].

Authors: O S Sotnikov, T N Kokurina, I A Solov'eva, S S Sergeeva

Journal, date & volume: Morfologiia, 2011 , 139, 46-50

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21954708

Abstract
Using the inverted phase contrast microscope, the supravital study of structural dynamics of single myelin sheath gaps (nodes of Ranvier) of isolated frog myelin nerve fibers was performed after mechanical injury and in the medium with the decreased ion force under the conditions which induce, in electrophysiological experiments, the expression of the axolemmal K+-channels in the paranodal area. Videorecording has shown that within this area the myelin sheath stratification appeared that was associated with the swelling of Schwann cell cytoplasm enclosed in the terminal membranous loops of myelin. An increase of the degree of stratification of the lamellar myelin complexes make them invisible in the light microscope; therefore, it is not the translocation of the myelin sheath from the node cleft that is recorded, as many authors believed, but a shift of only the visible border of the compact, yet unstratified myelin sheath. Hence, the removal of myelin (demyelination) was absent, and the electrophysiological effect can be accounted for by a significant fall of electrical resistance in paranodal area as a result of swelling of terminal loops and stratification of the myelin sheath. Preparations examination also revealed a decrease of the axonal diameter in, which is proportional to swelling of the myelin sheath terminal parts. Since the outer fiber diameter did not change, it can be concluded that the process observed is the result of swelling of the Schwann cell cytoplasm due to the axoplasm water fraction which may be a peculiar process of axo-glial interactions.