4-Aminopyridine: A Single-Dose Diagnostic Agent to Differentiate Axonal Continuity in Nerve Injuries

Abstract

Traumatic peripheral nerve injuries (TPNIs) are increasingly prevalent in battlefield trauma, and the functional recovery with TPNIs depends on axonal continuity. Although the physical examination is the main tool for clinical diagnosis with diagnostic work up, there is no diagnostic tool available to differentiate nerve injuries based on axonal continuity. Therefore, treatment often relies on “watchful waiting,” and this leads to muscle weakness and further reduces the chances of functional recovery. 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) is clinically used in multiple sclerosis patients for walking performance improvement. Preliminary results in conscious mice suggested a diagnostic role of 4-AP in distinguishing axonal continuity. In this study, we thought to evaluate the diagnostic potential of 4-AP on the axonal continuity in unawake/sedated animals.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2021
Source ID
10.1093/milmed/usaa310

Entities

People

  • Anagha A. Gurjar
  • Dongxiao Sun
  • John C Elfar
  • Juan A Estrada
  • Kristen M. Manto
  • M. A. Hassan Talukder
  • Marc Kaufman

Organizations

  • National Institutes of Health
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Neuroscience
  • Oncology
  • Oncology and Biomarker-Based Cancer Detection.