Median and ulnar nerve injuries reduce volitional forelimb strength in rats
Corresponding Author
Eric C. Meyers MS
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
Correspondence to: E. Meyers; e-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorRafael Granja MD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorBleyda R. Solorzano BS
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
Search for more papers by this authorMario Romero-Ortega PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMichael P. Kilgard PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRobert L. Rennaker II PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorSeth Hays PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Eric C. Meyers MS
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
Correspondence to: E. Meyers; e-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorRafael Granja MD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorBleyda R. Solorzano BS
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
Search for more papers by this authorMario Romero-Ortega PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMichael P. Kilgard PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRobert L. Rennaker II PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorSeth Hays PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas, 75080-3021 USA
The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, Richardson, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorConflicts of Interest: R.L.R. own shares in Vulintus, Inc., which is developing products based on this research. Vulintus, Inc., did not have any role in data collection, analysis, or the decision to publish. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest.
Funding: This work was sponsored in part by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Biological Technologies Office (BTO) ElectRx program under the auspices of Dr. Doug Weber through the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific Cooperative Agreement No. HR0011-15-2-0017 (R.L.R., M.P.K., and S.A.H.) and by NIH NINDS R01 NS094384-01 (S.A.H.) and R01 NS085167-01 (R.L.R. and M.P.K.)
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) are among the leading causes of physical disability in the United States. The majority of injuries occur in the upper extremities, and functional recovery is often limited. Robust animal models are critical first steps for developing effective therapies to restore function after PNI. Methods: We developed an automated behavioral assay that provides quantitative measurements of volitional forelimb strength in rats. Multiple forelimb PNI models involving the median and ulnar nerves were used to assess forelimb function for up to 13 weeks postinjury. Results: Despite multiple weeks of task-oriented training following injury, rats exhibit significant reductions in multiple quantitative parameters of forelimb function, including maximal pull force and speed of force generation. Discussion: This study demonstrates that the isometric pull task is an effective method of evaluating forelimb function following PNI and may aid in development of therapeutic interventions to restore function. Muscle Nerve 56: 1149–1154, 2017
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