Spontaneous paresis and paralysis associated with degenerative spinal cord and spinal nerve root lesions occurred in three strains of rats used in studies of aging. Focal or segmental spinal cord lesions had mild to severe demyelination, loss of nerve axons, and lipid-filled gitter cells. The lesions were limited to the white matter and were most severe in the lateral and ventral funiculi. The nerve roots had cholesterol clefts, focal hemorrhage, and demyelination. Atrophy of the skeletal muscle probably was secondary to the cord lesions. Vertebral lesions that involved the spinal canal and vascular blood flow were found, which may explain pathogenesis.
References
1.
AshbyJ. G.:
Pathogenesis of myelopathy in cervical spondylosis.Lanceti:
980–981(1975)
2.
BergB. N.:
Muscular dystrophy in aging rats.J. Geront.11:
134–139(1956)
3.
BergB. N.WolfA.SimmsH. S.:
Degenerative lesions of spinal roots and peripheral nerves in aging rats.Gerontologia6:
72–80(1962)
GilmoreS. A.:
Spinal nerve root degeneration in aging laboratory rats. A light microscopic study.Anat. Rec.174:
251–258(1972)
6.
GoodingM. R.:
Pathogenesis of myelopathy in cervical spondylosis.Lancetii:
1180–1181(1974)
7.
HollanderC. F.:
Current experience using the laboratory rat in aging studies.
Proc. 2nd Charles River Int. Symp. Laboratory Animals, Milano
1974
(in press)
8.
van der KogelA. J.BarendsenG. W.:
Late effects of spinal cord irradiation with 300 kV X-rays and 15 MeV neutrons.Br. J. Radiol.47:
393–398(1974)
9.
PappenheimerA. M.:
Spontaneous demyelinating disease of adult rats.Am. J. Path.28:
347–355(1952)
10.
SokoloffL.JayG. E.jr.:
Natural history of degenerative joint disease in small laboratory animals.4. Degenerative joint disease in the laboratory rat. Archs Path.62:
140–142(1956)
11.
SokoloffL.HabermanR. T.:
Idiopathic necrosis of bone in small laboratory animals.Archs Path.65:
323–330(1958)
