健康神經系統在人體中是非常重要的，神經組織在合理的受力情形下在體內形變與位移，是人體能夠正常生活的要素，許多常見的病痛都是神經組織受到不正常的壓力所引發，如腕隧道症候群、肘隧道症候群、腰椎骨刺與椎間盤突出症等。此外糖尿病也常引發神經病變，因病變的神經不同而有不同的症狀，因此了解神經組織的機械性質和其受糖尿病影響的變化，有助於預防糖尿病所引起的併發症，以及神經修復和再生的研究。
過去對於神經組織機械性質探討的研究，多將其整體視為單一個組織，本研究以光學同調斷層掃描術與離體平板壓縮力學實驗得到神經之內部結構影像，以之建立三維有限元素模型，針對神經組織內組織結構神經外膜、神經束膜和神經內層進行機械性質的研究，發現切楊氏模數的大小依序為神經束膜、神經內層與神經外模，且神經外膜為神經組織開始受到壓力時緩衝壓力的結構，神經束膜則是主要承受剪應力的部位，兩者之功能皆為當神經組織受到外力時保護神經內層。糖尿病鼠的神經組織結構剛性則皆大於正常鼠，且在相同應變量時，鬆弛階段的回復力量比例較小。

A healthy nervous system is very important for a healthy human body. The deformation and displacement of nerve tissues due to physiological force in the body is an essential factor in human life. There are many common diseases caused by compressing nerve tissues with abnormal pressure, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, lumbar osteophytes, and herniated intervertebral disc. In addition, diabetes also induces a variety of neuropathies and different kinds of nerve tissues result in different symptoms. Consequently, understanding the effects of diabetes on altering mechanical properties of nerves may prevent complications of diabetes mellitus and develop techniques for nerve repair and regeneration.

In previous studies, most researchs postulate mechanical properties of nerve tissues as single phase material. In this dissertation, using the optical coherence tomography, a technology that obtains the internal structure of nerve tissue, in vitro parallel plates compression experiment can be modeled by the three-dimensional finite element method. From the model simulations, the results show the stiffness of perineurium, endoneurium, and epineurium in descending order. Furthermore, the epineurium cushions the pressure when the nerve is compressed in the beginning and perineurium mainly takes the shear stress. The function of the above two tissues is to protect the endoneurium. The stiffness of perineurium, epineurium and endoneurium in diabetic group are all larger than those of normal group, and the proportion of force reduction is less in the relaxation test in diabetic group at the same strain .

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