Chapter 38 - Peripheral Neuropathy: Neurochemical and Molecular Mechanisms

Abstract

Publisher Summary The recent identification of mutant genes associated with neuropathy has provided important insight into the molecu­lar interaction between Schwann cells and axons and the role of mitochondria, protein trafficking and axonal transport in maintaining peripheral nerve function. The synaptic terminals of peripheral neurons are often located at a considerable distance from their cell bodies. This cytoarchitecture requires proteins synthesized in the cell body to be actively transported down the axon. The cell bodies of sensory neurons are located in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and motor neuron cell bodies are found within the anterior horn of the spinal cord. The autonomic outflow consists of a sequential two-neuron efferent pathway: a preganglionic neuron in the brainstem or intermediolateral columns of the spinal cord, and a postganglionic neuron in the autonomic ganglia.