Botulinum Neurotoxin Application to the Severed Femoral Nerve Modulates Spinal Synaptic Responses to Axotomy and Enhances Motor Recovery in Rats

<div>Retrograde labeling of motoneurons 20 weeks after lesion. (a–c) Representative images of motoneurons back-labeled through the muscle (quadriceps) and the skin (saphenous) branch of the femoral nerve (“Muscle” and “Skin”) using Fluoro-Ruby and Fluoro-Emerald (red and green fluorescence), (a) and (b), respectively, overlay in (c). Scale bar = 100 <i>μ</i>m. (d) Quantitative analysis of retrogradely labeled cells including double-labeled motoneurons (“Both”). Shown are mean values + SEM. One-way ANOVA showed no effect of treatment on any of the motoneuron categories (<svg height="8.68572pt" id="M32" style="vertical-align:-0.0498209pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.6359 8.02022 8.68572" width="8.02022pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M584 650H137L131 622C214 614 217 612 200 521L125 127C109 41 101 35 23 28L17 0H288L294 28C201 35 193 42 209 128L242 309H348C440 309 442 300 443 226H471L510 422H482C452 354 449 348 357 348H251L295 575C302 609 304 615 338 615H426C502 615 517 604 526 581C534 560 536 524 537 492L565 494C574 554 583 631 584 650Z" id="g113-71"></path></g></svg><sub>2,18</sub> = 0.95–1.14, <svg height="11.7782pt" id="M33" style="vertical-align:-3.42938pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.34882 50.7895 11.7782" width="50.7895pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M570 304C570 398 525 448 414 448C385 448 343 445 312 434L329 511L321 518C297 504 262 482 244 460L233 411C195 397 159 381 128 358L135 332C160 347 189 360 224 373L111 -147C97 -210 84 -218 17 -231L13 -257L254 -247L259 -218L233 -216C183 -212 177 -202 189 -142L218 -1C238 -10 266 -12 283 -12C351 3 429 48 483 105C543 168 570 242 570 304ZM482 289C482 161 380 33 304 33C278 33 248 51 233 69L303 396C326 400 352 403 369 403C428 403 482 380 482 289Z" id="g113-113"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.342,0)"><path d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z" id="g117-34"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,22.605,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z" id="g113-49"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,28.845,0)"><path d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z" id="g113-47"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,31.809,0)"><path d="M285 378C315 398 338 416 353 432C373 451 384 474 384 503C384 579 325 635 236 635H235C182 635 136 610 108 579L65 516L85 496C110 533 150 575 205 575C258 575 300 543 300 481C300 407 232 369 141 339L147 310C163 315 188 321 211 321C268 321 338 284 338 192C338 94 288 40 217 40C160 40 119 68 93 91C85 98 77 97 69 91C60 84 47 71 46 58C44 46 48 35 62 22C75 10 116 -12 162 -12C234 -12 424 62 424 224C424 297 373 359 285 376V378Z" id="g113-52"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.049,0)"><path d="M456 178V225H360V632H320C217 496 115 347 20 206V178H280V106C280 40 276 34 189 27V0H445V27C364 34 360 39 360 106V178H456ZM280 225H82C149 335 214 431 278 520H280V225Z" id="g113-53"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,44.289,0)"><path d="M412 140C382 77 369 73 315 73H129L270 222C362 320 402 379 402 466C402 571 322 635 234 635C177 635 130 609 99 576L42 495L64 475C90 514 133 568 201 568C274 568 318 519 318 435C318 349 255 267 193 193C144 135 87 78 32 23V0H405C417 45 427 89 440 131L412 140Z" id="g113-51"></path></g></svg>–0.533). <svg height="8.8423pt" id="M34" style="vertical-align:-0.2064009pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.6359 32.2343 8.8423" width="32.2343pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M822 650H589L583 622C660 617 677 607 674 561C672 534 664 481 647 390L600 137H596L273 650H126L120 622C176 620 194 615 207 594C221 571 225 557 214 504L161 257C141 166 129 112 121 85C108 42 83 30 29 28L23 0H260L266 28C193 33 173 42 176 89C178 122 186 172 202 255L256 527H259L583 -8H612L690 390C708 481 720 535 728 558C744 603 756 619 816 622L822 650Z" id="g113-79"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,14.542,0)"><path d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z" id="g117-34"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,25.805,0)"><path d="M447 623H65C61 580 56 530 47 475H76C100 541 106 550 172 550H388C308 376 196 170 91 -1L98 -12L172 -2C268 204 360 408 455 611L447 623Z" id="g113-56"></path></g></svg> animals per group.</div>

Neural Plasticity

fig8

Figure 8

Figure 8: Botulinum Neurotoxin Application to the Severed Femoral Nerve Modulates Spinal Synaptic Responses to Axotomy and Enhances Motor Recovery in Rats 

Figure 8 | Botulinum Neurotoxin Application to the Severed Femoral Nerve Modulates Spinal Synaptic Responses to Axotomy and Enhances Motor Recovery in Rats 