The effect of electrical stimulation on the experimentally denervated rat muscle.

The m. quadriceps of white rats was electrically stimulated after nerve crush and after nerve section. Electrically stimulated muscles showed fewer central nuclei and a greater number of necrotic single fibres. The demonstration of motor endplates could not give a reliable indication of the onset of reinnervation. The various results show the importance of the trophic influence of the nerve and raise the suspicion that electrical stimulation has a retarding effect on the atrophy but also on regeneration of the fibres. After 7 weeks the unstimulated muscles show a greater degree of regeneration than the stimulated ones.