title: Manipulations of the mouse femoral nerve influence the accuracy of pathway reinnervation by motor neurons.
abstract: Previous studies using the femoral nerve model in both mice and rats have shown that regenerating motor axons prefer to reinnervate the terminal nerve branch to muscle versus a terminal nerve branch to skin, a process that has been termed preferential motor reinnervation (PMR). If end organ contact with muscle and skin is prevented, this preferential motor reinnervation still occurs in the rat. To better understand the process of preferential motor reinnervation in the mouse, we examined motor neuron reinnervation of muscle and cutaneous pathways without any end organ contact as well as with only cutaneous end organ contact. Surprisingly, there was no preferential motor reinnervation: Motor neurons preferred the cutaneous pathway over the muscle pathway when all end organ contact was prevented and showed an even greater preference for the cutaneous pathway when it was attached to skin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Grant A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Madison
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005267:Femoral Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000293:injuries* / Q000502:physiology; D020428:Femoral Neuropathy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D020439:Growth Cones / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation