Work

Revitalizing the common peroneal function index for assessing functional recovery following nerve injury

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Peripheral nerve injury is common with poor functional recovery and consequent high personal and societal costs. Sciatic nerve transection and assessment of recovery using sciatic functional index (SFI) are widely used. SFI is biologically limited as axonal misdirection of axons supplying flexors and extensors in the hindlimb, after nerve injury can lead to synkinetic innervation and function which does not correspond to the degree of axonal regeneration. METHODS: We reevaluated the use of traditional metrics such as print length (PL), toe spread (TS), and intermediate toe spread (ITS) as well as hock angle at mid-swing as approaches for determining recovery. We used two alternative approaches in discrete cohorts of rats following common peroneal crush injury, transection with repair and critical gap, using transection with ligation as a negative control. We compared walking track analysis (print) with digital capture and kinematics. RESULTS: > 0.88, p < .0001) although pre-injury PFI was never attained by any of the models. Kinematic analysis identified hock angle at mid-swing as a useful predictor of recovery (p < .0001). INTERPRETATION: Using complementary approaches.

Source: Brain and Behavior

DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1968

Authors: Calder Fontaine, Eric A. Yeager, Michael Sledziona, Amanda K. Jones, Jonathan Cheetham

Institutions: Cornell University, New York State College of Veterinary Medicine

Language: English

Topic: Nerve injury and regeneration

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,700