Long interpositional nerve graft consistently induces incomplete motor and sensory recovery in the rat. An experimental model to test nerve repair.
Motor and sensory regeneration was studied in a 40 mm long graft interposed between the sectioned stumps of the rat median nerve. Animals were behaviorally assessed from 1 to 720 days after surgery by the grasping and modified Randall-Sellito tests. Rats recovered grasping function 43.7 (S.D. +/- 2.6) days after surgery. Grasping strength attained 50 and 65% of the normal control group, 280 and 360 days after surgery, respectively. From 90 to 360 days after surgery, sensory nociceptive recovery was only 30% of the normal control group. The results indicate that motor and sensory neurons were capable of regenerating additional axonal length, but functional return was clearly better in the motor system. This model of deficient reinnervation might prove to be of interest in testing of new strategies for the enhancement of nerve recovery.
Bertelli
Jayme Augusto
JA
Center of Biological and Health Sciences, University of the South of Santa Catarina (Unisul), Av. José Acácio Moreira, 787, Bairro Dehon, Cx Postal 370, Tubarão 88704-900, SC, Brazil. bertelli@matrix.com.br
dos Santos
Adair Roberto Soares
AR
Taleb
Madjid
M
Calixto
João Batista
JB
Mira
Jean Claude
JC
Ghizoni
Marcos Flávio
MF
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000293:injuries / Q000637:transplantation*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology*; D019737:Transplants