title: Noninvasive model of sciatic nerve conduction in healthy and septic mice: reliability and normative data.
abstract: Neuromuscular disorders frequently complicate sepsis and other critical illnesses in patients. Mice are the major species used as a model for sepsis. Nerve conduction studies (NCS), the primary tool for noninvasive assessment of nerve and muscle function, is challenging to perform in small animals. A reliable method for noninvasive, repeated NCS testing has not been reported in mice. We developed and validated a method for the repeated measurement of mouse sciatic nerve conduction in normal and septic mice. Our sedated and awake NCS system enabled minimally invasive long-term repeated measurements. The mean compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude and latency were 17.4 mV and 1.11 ms, respectively (n = 59). There was an excellent intertester reproducibility by linear regression in both normal (r = 0.95) and septic (r = 0.98) mice. We also showed significant, time-dependent isoflurane-induced CMAP suppression in all animals, which was further exacerbated in septic mice. This study provides a new tool for the assessment of peripheral nerve/muscle function in mouse neuromuscular disease models that require repeated, long-term, and minimally invasive monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Marcin F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Osuchowski
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Teener
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Remick
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology; D004576:Electromyography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007530:Isoflurane; D008026:Ligation; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D007530:Isoflurane