THE AXONAL PATHOLOGY IN CHRONIC IDPN INTOXICATION

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Abstract
Neurofilamentous axonal swellings occur in a number of degenerative and toxic disorders of the nervous system. In one of these, experimental intoxication with β,β′-iminodiproprionitrile (IDPN), accumulation of neurofilaments has been shown to result from a defect in slow axonal transport. The consequence of this functional abnormality is a series of changes in axonal morphology: Neurofilaments accumulate in the proximal axon; the proximal axon becomes swollen; the distal axon loses volume (axonal atrophy). These studies indicate that axonal atrophy occurs secondary to an impairment of slow axonal transport and suggest that a similar abnormality may underlie the pathological changes in certain other degenerative and toxic diseases of the nervous system.