Does diabetes mellitus target motor neurons?
A pattern of peripheral neurodegeneration occurs in chronic diabetes mellitus in which an early, but selective retraction of distal axons may occur prior to any irretrievable neuronal loss. Clinical observations suggest that sensory systems undergo damage before those of motor neurons. In this work, we examined the fate of the spinal motor neuron in a long-term chronic model of experimental (streptozotocin-induced) diabetes already known to be associated with substantial loss of sensory neurons. The integrity, physiological function, and critical forms of protein expression of the full motor neuron tree was examined in mice exposed to 8 months of diabetes. Motor neurons developed progressive features of distal loss of axonal terminals but without perikaryal dropout, indicating distal axon retraction. While numbers and caliber of motor neuron perikarya and their nerve trunk axons were preserved, axons developed conduction velocity slowing, loss of motor units and neuromuscular junctions
