Morphological study of myoneural interaction between the levator labii superioris muscle and its motor nerve in rats

• Grant number: 06/03751-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2006
• End date: September 30, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Antonio de Castro Rodrigues
• Grantee: Carina Guimarães de Souza Melo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Peripheral nerves and striated skeletal muscles, often are the target of traumatics lesions. In accord to a study made in USA, 50 thousand of people have traumatic lesions in peripheral nerves each year. In the last 25 years, the surgery techniques to the repair of nerves and muscles have had a significant development. Although, these advances on this area of investigation, the repair rarely is complete, and in the most of times is insatisfatory. This fact motivate us to offer to the searchers a model of myoneural interaction, with its morphological characteristics, like its constitution, number of fibers (in the nerves and muscles), the area of fibers, type of muscle fibers, and other aspects. So, we decided to use in our study the levator labii superioris, a branchiomeric muscle, and its motor nerve (a branch of facial nerve).