Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0700208 (scoliosis)
 8,574 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphology of nerve endings in spinal ligaments of scoliotic and normal patients. Nervous elements were investigated by means of gold chloride (AuCl2) impregnation and an indirect avidine-biotine peroxydase immunohistochemical method. Antiserum to a neurofilament protein (NFP) and S-100 protein were used as specific markers of nervous elements. In scoliotic and normal patients, immunohistochemical staining demonstrated a rich innervation of inter- and supra-spinous ligaments as compared to the yellow ligament. The immunohistochemical staining is however the most convenient and specific mean for studying the innervation in the ligaments. These two staining methods did not show any morphological difference in nervous elements of scoliotics ligaments as compared to the normal ligaments. These findings confront the role of the posterior ligamentous system in proprioception essential both in static and dynamic function of the sepine. However, the degeneration of neural elements in spinal ligaments could be involved in the etiology of the idiopathic scoliosis.
 ...
PMID:[Morphological study of the innervation of spinal ligaments in scoliotic patients]. 814 54

Evidence is rapidly accumulating to suggest that general proprioceptive dysfunction might be a major contributing factor in the development of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The innervation of appropriate ligaments which has been shown to be involved in proprioceptive feedback mechanisms, has also been suggested to play a part in this sensory dysfunction. Accordingly, this study compared the innervation characteristics of lateral spinal ligaments from patients with AIS to similar measurements from control subjects. Using an antibody to neurofilament protein, Ruffini corpuscles, small and large nerve bundles, and free nerve endings were identified and their numbers and distribution patterns compared. In the control group, the innervation was found to be symmetrical between left and right sides but was more concentrated in the ventral portion of each ligament. No apparent morphological defect of the innervation was found in the lateral spinal ligaments of the scoliosis patients but the innervation densities of Ruffini corpuscles, single nerve fibres and total neural elements were significantly lower (p<0.01) than those found in normal subjects. These results suggest a possible mechanism for the production of AIS and warrant further study.
 ...
PMID:A comparison of the innervation characteristics of the lateral spinal ligaments between normal subjects and patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. 971 94