Innervation mapping of the hind paw of the rat using Evans Blue extravasation, Optical Surface Mapping and CASAM.
BACKGROUND
Although numerous studies investigate sensory regeneration and reinnervation of the hind paw of the rat after nerve damage, no comprehensive overview of its normal innervation is present in literature. The Evans Blue extravasation technique is a well-known technique to study patterns of skin innervation. This technique has been performed differently by various groups but was never used to study the entire skin innervation in rats' hind paw including all three branches of the sciatic nerve and the saphenous nerve in detail.


METHODS
In this paper, we have used the Evans Blue extravasation technique to chart the skin areas innervated by the sural, peroneal, tibial and/or saphenous nerves, which together innervate the entire hind paw of the rat, and use a new technique to analyze the distribution, overlap and variability of the results. The technique is based on analysis of whole hind paws using Optical Surface Mapping (OSM) in combination with the Computer Assisted Surgical Anatomy Mapping (CASAM) technology.


RESULTS
While the plantar hind paw is mainly innervated by the tibial nerve, the dorsal hind paw is supplied by the sural, peroneal and the saphenous nerve.


METHODS
Although our results basically concur with the general nerve-specific innervation of the rat hind paw, they show considerable detail in their areas of overlap as well as in the amount of variability between animals.


CONCLUSIONS
These results will be invaluable to study and evaluate patterns of innervation and reinnervation of intact and damaged nerve fibers.
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: s.kambiz@erasmusmc.nl.
S
S
Kambiz
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
M
M
Baas
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
L S
LS
Duraku
Department of Anatomy, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
A L
AL
Kerver
Department of Bioinformatica, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
A H J
AH
Koning
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
E T
ET
Walbeehm
Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
T J H
TJ
Ruigrok
D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005070:Evans Blue; D005260:Female; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D056347:Neuroanatomical Tract-Tracing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D056325:Neuronal Tract-Tracers; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012867:Skin / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000293:injuries; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D013979:Tibial Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology
D056325:Neuronal Tract-Tracers; D005070:Evans Blue
Computer Assisted Surgical Anatomy Mapping (CASAM) technology; Evans Blue extravasation; Optical Surface Mapping (OSM); Optical projection tomography (OPT); Rats’ hind paw; Skin innervation