Sprouting of dorsal root axons.

Sprouting of axons may be an important component in whatever restoration of neural tissue occurs following injury. A classic paradigm used to demonstrate sprouting is the spared dorsal root preparation. The present study determines the number of axons in the spared root, the cranial root and the caudal root as compared to their normal mates on the unoperated side of the spinal cord. The data confirm that sprouting occurs and the unmyelinated axons are the sprouting population in the dorsal root. The quantification of sprouting provides an opportunity to get a precise estimate of the parameters of sprouting and the hope is that this increased precision will lead to insights into functional changes that result from axonal sprouting.