wallerian degeneration

wallerian degeneration definition - medical

wal·le·ri·an degeneration (wŏ-lîrˈē-ən)

noun
The degeneration of a nerve fiber that has been separated from its nutritive center by injury or disease, characterized by segmentation of the myelin and resulting in atrophy and destruction of the axon. Also called orthograde degeneration, secondary degeneration.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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