Axotomy Procedure
Axotomy Procedure - Related Videos
03:24
Two-Photon Laser Axotomy: A Method to Injure Axons in Zebrafish Embryos and Observe Axonal Recovery
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2023
This video describes the method to injure axons in zebrafish embryos using two photon laser axotomy and observing axonal recovery from injury.
09:18
In vivo Laser Axotomy in C. elegans
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Cited by 46 •
2011
A protocol to cut neurons in C. elegans with a MicroPoint pulsed laser is presented. We describe setting up the system, immobilizing worms, and severing labeled neurons. Advantages include a relatively low-cost system and the ability to sever neuronal processes or ablate cells in vivo.
03:37
Performing Crush Axotomy on the Facial Nerve in a Mouse Model
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2025
Source: Olmstead, D. N., et al., Facial Nerve Axotomy in Mice: A Model to Study Motoneuron Response to Injury. J. Vis. Exp. (2015).This video demonstrates the facial nerve crush procedure in a mouse, where blunt dissection through key landmarks exposes the facial nerve trunk at the stylomastoid foramen. Forceps are then used to compress the nerve trunk, inducing axonal damage and disrupting neuronal signal transmission.
10:11
Facial Nerve Axotomy in Mice: A Model to Study Motoneuron Response to Injury
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Cited by 27 •
2015
We present a surgical protocol detailing how to perform a cut or crush axotomy on the facial nerve in the mouse. The facial nerve axotomy can be employed to study the physiological response to nerve injury and test therapeutic techniques.
10:05
Constructing a Low-budget Laser Axotomy System to Study Axon Regeneration in C. elegans
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Cited by 12 •
2011
Laser axotomy followed by time-lapse imaging is a sensitive way to assay the effects of mutations in C. elegans on axon regeneration. A high quality, but inexpensive, laser ablation system can be easily added to most microscopes. Time lapse imaging over 15 hours requires careful immobilization of the worm.
FAQs
After the cut, the proximal segment remains connected to the cell body, so it can be examined for injury-response and regeneration pathway activation. The distal segment, separated from that body connection, undergoes Wallerian degeneration. Comparing these two regions distinguishes cell-body-linked responses from changes in the disconnected axon.
Axotomy models can be applied to both the central and peripheral nervous systems, allowing investigators to examine where repair responses differ. This comparison is important because the models address not only whether neurons survive, but also the mechanisms that limit regeneration and the prospects for restoring neural connectivity after trauma.
Measurements of neuronal survival, axonal transport, synaptic remodeling, and regeneration capture different consequences of injury. Survival reflects whether affected neurons persist, transport concerns movement along the axon, remodeling indicates changes in synaptic connections, and regeneration addresses renewed axonal growth. Together, these readouts connect cellular injury responses with possible recovery of neural connectivity.
An Axotomy Procedure is organized around the separated proximal and distal segments and the responses that follow. Investigators can assess the cell-body-connected portion for injury and regeneration responses, while examining the disconnected portion for Wallerian degeneration. This paired analysis provides a framework for relating local axonal damage to broader neuronal outcomes.
Researchers use these experimental injuries to model questions arising from nerve trauma, including whether neurons survive, how axonal transport changes, and whether damaged connections can be rebuilt. The approach is therefore useful when a study needs a controlled way to connect the physical loss of an axon with cellular responses and repair-related processes.
Results from axotomy experiments can inform strategies aimed at restoring neural connectivity and function, but they also reveal barriers to repair. Evidence of degeneration, limited regeneration, altered transport, or synaptic remodeling helps frame how injury affects neural systems. These findings support neuroscience research on both traumatic damage and the biology of repair.