Frequency of nerve fiber degeneration of peripheral motor and sensory neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Morphometry of deep and superficial peroneal nerves

Peter James Dyck, J. Clarke Stevens, Donald W. Mulder, Raul E. Espinosa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

141 Scopus citations

Abstract

Among 10 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who had combined biopsy of muscle and cutaneous nerves, two had a history of paresthesia that suggested involvement of peripheral afferent neurons. Of four patients without paresthesia, two had unequivocal abnormalities of touch-pressure sensation of the toe. On morphometric evaluations of lateral fascicles of deep peroneal nerve, one nerve had an abnormally low myelinated fiber density and seven of 10 had abnormally high frequencies of teased-fiber abnormalities. Teased fibers in which myelin was degenerating into linear rows of myelin ovoids and balls occurred in 10.5 percent of fibers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis nerves as compared with 1.7 percent in control nerves (0.01 < P < 0.025). Estimates of density of myelinated fibers were less sensitive than estimates of the frequency of various changes in teased fibers for detecting abnormality.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)781-785
Number of pages5
JournalNeurology
Volume25
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1975

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Neurology

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