SlideShare a Scribd company logo
WALLERIAN DEGENERATION
AND REGENERATION
PRESENTED BY:
DR. LAKSHMI PAVANI P. (PT)
CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION
 CLASSIFICATION OF NERVE INJURIES
 INJURY OF THE NERVE CELL BODY
 INJURY OF THE NERVE CELL PROCESS
 CHANGES IN THE DISTAL SEGMENT OF THE AXON
 CHANGES IN THE PROXIMAL SEGMENT OF THE AXON
 CHANGES IN THE NERVE CELL BODY
 RECOVERY OF THE NEURONS FOLLOWING INJURY
 REGENERATION OF AXONS IN THE PERIPHERAL NERVES
 REGENERATION OF AXONS IN THE CNS
WALLERIAN
DEGENERATION
REGENERATION
INTRODUCTION
 Neuron is the basic functional unit of the nervous system.
 In the mature human, if it is destroyed, it is not replaced.
 It may be injured due to various reasons(cutting, crushing, pull & pressure).
 These injuries may damage a nerve variously & the injury is classified according to the
extent of the damage.
Wallerian degeneration and regeneration
Wallerian degeneration and regeneration
Wallerian degeneration and regeneration
SEDDON’S CLASSIFICATION OF NERVE
INJURY
 Seddon (1944) described 3 clinical types of nerve injury:
Neurapraxia (class I)
 The term applied to a transient block
 Paralysis is incomplete, recovery is rapid & complete, & there is no nerve degeneration
 Pressure is the most common cause
Axonotmesis (class II)
 The term applied to a nerve lesion in which the axons are damaged but the surrounding
connective tissue sheaths remain intact
 Wallerian degeneration occurs peripherally
 Functional recovery is more rapid & more complete than after complete section of the
nerve trunk
 Crush injuries, traction, & compression are the most common causes
Neurotmesis (class III)
 The term applied to complete section of the nerve trunk
 Occur on severe contusion, stretch, laceration
 Surgical repair is required.
SUNDERLAND’S CLASSIFICATION
 Sunderland (1951) expanded seddon’s classification to 5 degrees:
First-degree (class I) : seddon’s neurapraxia & first-degree are the same
Second-degree (class II) : seddon’s axonotmesis & second-degree are the same
Third-degree (class II):
 Nerve fiber interruption
 There is a lesion of the endoneurium, but the epineurium & perineurium remain intact
 Recovery from a third-degree injury is possible, but surgical intervention may be required
Fourth-degree (class II):
 Only the epineurium remain intact
 Surgical repair is required
Fifth-degree (class III):
 seddon’s neurotmesis
 Lesion of complete transection of the nerve
 Recovery is not possible without an appropriate surgical treatment
Wallerian degeneration and regeneration
INJURY OF THE NERVE CELL BODY
 Severe damage of the nerve cell body may result in degeneration of the entire neuron.
 In the CNS, the tissue macrophages (microglial cells) remove the debris, & the
neighboring astrocytes replace the neuron with scar tissue
 In the PNS, the tissue macrophages remove the debris, & the local fibroblasts replace the
neuron with scar tissue
INJURY OF THE NERVE CELL PROCESS
 If the axon of the nerve cell is divided, degenerative changes will take place in
1. Distal segment of the axon
2. A portion of the axon proximal to the injury
3. The cell body from which the axon arises
CHANGES IN THE DISTAL SEGMENT OF
THE AXON
 Wallerian degeneration is the changes that occur distally to the site of damage on an axon
 Axon becomes swollen & irregular; the axon is broken into fragments, & the debris is
digested by surrounding schwann cells & tissue macrophages
 Entire axon is destroyed within a week
 Myelin sheath is converted into lipid droplets
 The droplets are extruded from the schwann cell & subsequently are phagocytosed by
tissue macrophages
 Schwann cells now begin to proliferate rapidly & axonal sprouts grow from the proximal
stump, enter the distal stump, & grow toward the nerve's end-organs
 If regeneration does not occur, the axon & the Schwann cells are replaced by fibrous
tissue produced by local fibroblasts
Wallerian degeneration and regeneration
CHANGES IN THE PROXIMAL SEGMENT
OF THE AXON
 The changes in the proximal segment of the axon are similar to those that take place in the
distal segment but extend only proximally above the lesion as far as the first node of
ranvier
CHANGES IN THE NERVE CELL BODY
 The changes that occur in the cell body following injury to its axon are referred to as
retrograde degeneration
 The nissil material becomes fine, granular, & dispersed throughout the cytoplasm
(chromatolysis)
 The nucleus moves toward the periphery of the cell, & the cell body swells & becomes
rounded
 Synaptic terminals are replaced by schwann cells in the PNS & microglial cells or
astrocytes in the CNS
RECOVERY OF NEURONS FOLLOWING
INJURY
 The recovery of the nerve cell body & regeneration of its processes may take several
months.
 RNA & protein synthesis is accelerated
 A reconstitution of the original nissil structure
 A decrease in the swelling of the cell body
 A return of nucleus to its characteristic central position
REGENERATION OF AXONS IN
PERIPHERAL NERVES
 Depend on endoneurial tubes & possessed by schwann cells
 The following mechanisms are involved:
1. The axons are attracted by chemotropic factors secreted by the schwann cells in the distal
stump.
2. Growth-stimulating factors exist within the distal stump, &
3. Inhibitory factors are present in the perineurium to inhibit the axons from leaving the
nerve
REGENERATION OF AXONS IN THE CNS
 Central axons may not be as good at regeneration as peripheral axons
 The regeneration process is aborted by:
1. Failure of oligodendrocytes to serve in the same manner as schwann cells
2. Laying down of scar tissue by the active astrocytes
3. Absence of nerve growth factors in the CNS
4. Neuroglial cells may produce nerve growth-inhibiting factors
Wallerian degeneration and regeneration
REFERENCES
 Clinical neuroanatomy, 7/E snell
 Essentials of medical physiology, 3/E mahapatra
 Principles of neural science, 5/E kandel ER, schwartz JH, jessell TM (editors)
THANK YOU!

More Related Content

PPTX
Degeneration and regeneration of nerve fibers
PPTX
Nerve injury
PPT
Degeneration & regeneration of nerve fiber.ppt by Dr. PANDIAN M.
PPT
Degeneration and regeneration of nerve fiber BY PANDIAN MTHIS PPT ONLY FIOR...
PPTX
Biology of nerve injury and repair
PPTX
Degeneration and regeneration of
PPTX
Biology of nerve injury and repair
PPTX
Wallerian degenratin
Degeneration and regeneration of nerve fibers
Nerve injury
Degeneration & regeneration of nerve fiber.ppt by Dr. PANDIAN M.
Degeneration and regeneration of nerve fiber BY PANDIAN MTHIS PPT ONLY FIOR...
Biology of nerve injury and repair
Degeneration and regeneration of
Biology of nerve injury and repair
Wallerian degenratin

What's hot (20)

PPTX
Ape thumb deformity to publish
PPT
Median nerve
PPTX
Epiphysis and apophysis
PPTX
Painful shoulder arc
PPTX
Wrist drop
PPTX
Evertor and invertor of foot
PPTX
Ligaments of ankle joint (Ankle complex)
PPT
Pain gate theory
PPTX
Pain gate theory
PPTX
Arches of foot
PDF
Muscles Of The Neck 1
PPTX
Carrying Angle
PPTX
Lecture 2 Electrotherapy- pain physiology
PPT
Slideshow: Rotator Cuff
PPTX
Congenital talipes equinovarus (club foot/ctev) ppt by Dr Pratik
PPTX
Nerve injury
PDF
Muscles of the upper limb
PPTX
Stretch reflex
PPTX
Biomechanics of thorax
PPTX
PRINCIPLES OF TENDON TRANSFERS
Ape thumb deformity to publish
Median nerve
Epiphysis and apophysis
Painful shoulder arc
Wrist drop
Evertor and invertor of foot
Ligaments of ankle joint (Ankle complex)
Pain gate theory
Pain gate theory
Arches of foot
Muscles Of The Neck 1
Carrying Angle
Lecture 2 Electrotherapy- pain physiology
Slideshow: Rotator Cuff
Congenital talipes equinovarus (club foot/ctev) ppt by Dr Pratik
Nerve injury
Muscles of the upper limb
Stretch reflex
Biomechanics of thorax
PRINCIPLES OF TENDON TRANSFERS
Ad

Similar to Wallerian degeneration and regeneration (20)

PPTX
3 Nerve injury, degeneration Regeneration-.pptx
PPTX
3. Degeneration a Regeneration of Nerve Fibres.pptx
PPTX
Degeneration and Regeneration of Nerve Fibers.pptx
PPTX
Nerve fiber _ degeneration_regeneration.pptx
PDF
Degenerationandregenerationof 151229165931
PPTX
Degeneration and Regeneration of Nerve Fibers.pptx
PPTX
DEGENERATION & REGENERATION IN NEURONS.pptx
PPTX
Nerve Injury Degeneration Regeneration.pptx
PDF
Degeneration and regeneration of nerve.ppt
PPT
Nerve fibre final.pptaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
PPTX
peripheral nerve injury by srija sen chowdhury .pptx
PPTX
Reactions of neurons to injury
PDF
Nerve and Muscle Mbbs First Year Physiology .pdf
PPTX
Maxillofacial nerve injury (trigeminal ).pptx
PPT
Nerve regeneration
PPTX
Nerve injury AR.pptx
PPT
Nerve injury (1).ppt nerve neurophysiology
PPTX
Nerve Injuries and its management techniues.pptx
PPTX
Nerve injury
PPTX
NERVE INJURY,ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY,BDS
3 Nerve injury, degeneration Regeneration-.pptx
3. Degeneration a Regeneration of Nerve Fibres.pptx
Degeneration and Regeneration of Nerve Fibers.pptx
Nerve fiber _ degeneration_regeneration.pptx
Degenerationandregenerationof 151229165931
Degeneration and Regeneration of Nerve Fibers.pptx
DEGENERATION & REGENERATION IN NEURONS.pptx
Nerve Injury Degeneration Regeneration.pptx
Degeneration and regeneration of nerve.ppt
Nerve fibre final.pptaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
peripheral nerve injury by srija sen chowdhury .pptx
Reactions of neurons to injury
Nerve and Muscle Mbbs First Year Physiology .pdf
Maxillofacial nerve injury (trigeminal ).pptx
Nerve regeneration
Nerve injury AR.pptx
Nerve injury (1).ppt nerve neurophysiology
Nerve Injuries and its management techniues.pptx
Nerve injury
NERVE INJURY,ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY,BDS
Ad

Recently uploaded (20)

PPTX
POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME.pptx by Dr( med) Charles Amoateng
PPTX
Imaging of parasitic D. Case Discussions.pptx
PPTX
Pathophysiology And Clinical Features Of Peripheral Nervous System .pptx
PPT
1b - INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY (comm med).ppt
PPTX
Chapter-1-The-Human-Body-Orientation-Edited-55-slides.pptx
PPTX
CME 2 Acute Chest Pain preentation for education
PDF
Deadly Stampede at Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium Forensic.pdf
PPT
Breast Cancer management for medicsl student.ppt
PPT
Obstructive sleep apnea in orthodontics treatment
PPTX
JUVENILE NASOPHARYNGEAL ANGIOFIBROMA.pptx
PDF
Human Health And Disease hggyutgghg .pdf
PPTX
neonatal infection(7392992y282939y5.pptx
PPTX
surgery guide for USMLE step 2-part 1.pptx
PPTX
1 General Principles of Radiotherapy.pptx
PDF
Khadir.pdf Acacia catechu drug Ayurvedic medicine
PPT
MENTAL HEALTH - NOTES.ppt for nursing students
PPT
OPIOID ANALGESICS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS
PPTX
Acid Base Disorders educational power point.pptx
PDF
Medical Evidence in the Criminal Justice Delivery System in.pdf
DOCX
NEET PG 2025 | Pharmacology Recall: 20 High-Yield Questions Simplified
POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME.pptx by Dr( med) Charles Amoateng
Imaging of parasitic D. Case Discussions.pptx
Pathophysiology And Clinical Features Of Peripheral Nervous System .pptx
1b - INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY (comm med).ppt
Chapter-1-The-Human-Body-Orientation-Edited-55-slides.pptx
CME 2 Acute Chest Pain preentation for education
Deadly Stampede at Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium Forensic.pdf
Breast Cancer management for medicsl student.ppt
Obstructive sleep apnea in orthodontics treatment
JUVENILE NASOPHARYNGEAL ANGIOFIBROMA.pptx
Human Health And Disease hggyutgghg .pdf
neonatal infection(7392992y282939y5.pptx
surgery guide for USMLE step 2-part 1.pptx
1 General Principles of Radiotherapy.pptx
Khadir.pdf Acacia catechu drug Ayurvedic medicine
MENTAL HEALTH - NOTES.ppt for nursing students
OPIOID ANALGESICS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS
Acid Base Disorders educational power point.pptx
Medical Evidence in the Criminal Justice Delivery System in.pdf
NEET PG 2025 | Pharmacology Recall: 20 High-Yield Questions Simplified

Wallerian degeneration and regeneration

  • 1. WALLERIAN DEGENERATION AND REGENERATION PRESENTED BY: DR. LAKSHMI PAVANI P. (PT)
  • 2. CONTENTS  INTRODUCTION  CLASSIFICATION OF NERVE INJURIES  INJURY OF THE NERVE CELL BODY  INJURY OF THE NERVE CELL PROCESS  CHANGES IN THE DISTAL SEGMENT OF THE AXON  CHANGES IN THE PROXIMAL SEGMENT OF THE AXON  CHANGES IN THE NERVE CELL BODY  RECOVERY OF THE NEURONS FOLLOWING INJURY  REGENERATION OF AXONS IN THE PERIPHERAL NERVES  REGENERATION OF AXONS IN THE CNS WALLERIAN DEGENERATION REGENERATION
  • 3. INTRODUCTION  Neuron is the basic functional unit of the nervous system.  In the mature human, if it is destroyed, it is not replaced.  It may be injured due to various reasons(cutting, crushing, pull & pressure).  These injuries may damage a nerve variously & the injury is classified according to the extent of the damage.
  • 7. SEDDON’S CLASSIFICATION OF NERVE INJURY  Seddon (1944) described 3 clinical types of nerve injury: Neurapraxia (class I)  The term applied to a transient block  Paralysis is incomplete, recovery is rapid & complete, & there is no nerve degeneration  Pressure is the most common cause
  • 8. Axonotmesis (class II)  The term applied to a nerve lesion in which the axons are damaged but the surrounding connective tissue sheaths remain intact  Wallerian degeneration occurs peripherally  Functional recovery is more rapid & more complete than after complete section of the nerve trunk  Crush injuries, traction, & compression are the most common causes
  • 9. Neurotmesis (class III)  The term applied to complete section of the nerve trunk  Occur on severe contusion, stretch, laceration  Surgical repair is required.
  • 10. SUNDERLAND’S CLASSIFICATION  Sunderland (1951) expanded seddon’s classification to 5 degrees: First-degree (class I) : seddon’s neurapraxia & first-degree are the same Second-degree (class II) : seddon’s axonotmesis & second-degree are the same Third-degree (class II):  Nerve fiber interruption  There is a lesion of the endoneurium, but the epineurium & perineurium remain intact  Recovery from a third-degree injury is possible, but surgical intervention may be required
  • 11. Fourth-degree (class II):  Only the epineurium remain intact  Surgical repair is required Fifth-degree (class III):  seddon’s neurotmesis  Lesion of complete transection of the nerve  Recovery is not possible without an appropriate surgical treatment
  • 13. INJURY OF THE NERVE CELL BODY  Severe damage of the nerve cell body may result in degeneration of the entire neuron.  In the CNS, the tissue macrophages (microglial cells) remove the debris, & the neighboring astrocytes replace the neuron with scar tissue  In the PNS, the tissue macrophages remove the debris, & the local fibroblasts replace the neuron with scar tissue
  • 14. INJURY OF THE NERVE CELL PROCESS  If the axon of the nerve cell is divided, degenerative changes will take place in 1. Distal segment of the axon 2. A portion of the axon proximal to the injury 3. The cell body from which the axon arises
  • 15. CHANGES IN THE DISTAL SEGMENT OF THE AXON  Wallerian degeneration is the changes that occur distally to the site of damage on an axon  Axon becomes swollen & irregular; the axon is broken into fragments, & the debris is digested by surrounding schwann cells & tissue macrophages  Entire axon is destroyed within a week  Myelin sheath is converted into lipid droplets  The droplets are extruded from the schwann cell & subsequently are phagocytosed by tissue macrophages
  • 16.  Schwann cells now begin to proliferate rapidly & axonal sprouts grow from the proximal stump, enter the distal stump, & grow toward the nerve's end-organs  If regeneration does not occur, the axon & the Schwann cells are replaced by fibrous tissue produced by local fibroblasts
  • 18. CHANGES IN THE PROXIMAL SEGMENT OF THE AXON  The changes in the proximal segment of the axon are similar to those that take place in the distal segment but extend only proximally above the lesion as far as the first node of ranvier
  • 19. CHANGES IN THE NERVE CELL BODY  The changes that occur in the cell body following injury to its axon are referred to as retrograde degeneration  The nissil material becomes fine, granular, & dispersed throughout the cytoplasm (chromatolysis)  The nucleus moves toward the periphery of the cell, & the cell body swells & becomes rounded  Synaptic terminals are replaced by schwann cells in the PNS & microglial cells or astrocytes in the CNS
  • 20. RECOVERY OF NEURONS FOLLOWING INJURY  The recovery of the nerve cell body & regeneration of its processes may take several months.  RNA & protein synthesis is accelerated  A reconstitution of the original nissil structure  A decrease in the swelling of the cell body  A return of nucleus to its characteristic central position
  • 21. REGENERATION OF AXONS IN PERIPHERAL NERVES  Depend on endoneurial tubes & possessed by schwann cells  The following mechanisms are involved: 1. The axons are attracted by chemotropic factors secreted by the schwann cells in the distal stump. 2. Growth-stimulating factors exist within the distal stump, & 3. Inhibitory factors are present in the perineurium to inhibit the axons from leaving the nerve
  • 22. REGENERATION OF AXONS IN THE CNS  Central axons may not be as good at regeneration as peripheral axons  The regeneration process is aborted by: 1. Failure of oligodendrocytes to serve in the same manner as schwann cells 2. Laying down of scar tissue by the active astrocytes 3. Absence of nerve growth factors in the CNS 4. Neuroglial cells may produce nerve growth-inhibiting factors
  • 24. REFERENCES  Clinical neuroanatomy, 7/E snell  Essentials of medical physiology, 3/E mahapatra  Principles of neural science, 5/E kandel ER, schwartz JH, jessell TM (editors)