Nerve repair - Brushart, Thomas M. (Oxford University Press, 2011)
Includes bibliographical references and index
Peripheral nerve anatomy and function -- Touch -- Motion -- Determining clinical outcomes -- Clinical nerve repair and grafting -- Determining experimental outcome -- Outcomes of experimental nerve repair and grafting -- The nerve gap : beyond autograft -- Nerve regeneration -- Specificity in nerve regeneration -- Systems of organization after nerve repair or transfer -- Treatment strategies
Peripheral nerves are biologic wires that convey the desire for motion from brain to muscle, and the experience of touch from skin to brain. When a nerve is cut, the individual fibers, or axons, must regenerate from the site of injury to reconnect with their skin and muscle targets. Nerve regeneration is a process of bewildering complexity that requires the coordinated action of multiple biologic systems. Gene expression within the neuron is altered to support axon growth, regenerating axons must cross the complex environment of the nerve injury and enter pathways that lead to functionally app