Facilitated regeneration in the rat peripheral nervous system using applied electric fields

The efficacy of applied electric fields in promoting regeneration of the transected and frozen rat sciatic nerve was studied. Three groups were studied at 6, 12, and 18 days post-lesion; nerves treated with 1.5 microA of direct current where the cathode was oriented distal to the lesion, nerves treated with the anode distal to the lesion, or no current delivered to the nerve. Regeneration in this severely damaged mammalian peripheral nerve model was quantitated by counting fluorescent antibody profiles to neurofilament protein distal to the lesion site. The results indicated that only cathodal current, applied distal to the lesion, significantly increased the rate of regeneration compared to controls. Such results help to elucidate mechanisms by which electric fields can facilitate regeneration in the mammalian nervous system.