Fast and Slow Axoplasmic Flow in Sciatic Nerve of Diabetic Rats

Accumulation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline acetylase (ChAc) activities proximal to a tie placed on the sciatic nerve was measured in control, untreated diabetic, and insulin-treated diabetic rats. In the diabetic animals AChE accumulation was reduced by about 20 percent and ChAc accumulation by about 40 percent. Insulin treatment eliminated the impairment. It remains an open question whether these reversible functional changes in rat have any counterpart in the diabetic neuropathy of man.