The Usefulness of Motor Potentials Evoked Transvertebrally at Lumbar Levels for the Evaluation of Peroneal Nerve Regeneration after Experimental Repair in Rats

J. Pers. Med., 2023 · DOI: 10.3390/jpm13030438 · Published: February 28, 2023

Physiology Neurology Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells

Simple Explanation

This study explores a method, motor evoked potentials (MEPs), to assess nerve regeneration in rats after surgery. MEPs involve stimulating the spinal cord and recording the resulting electrical activity in the leg nerves. The researchers compared MEPs to a standard nerve test called electroneurography (ENG) to see if MEPs could provide similar information about nerve recovery. The results showed that MEPs were as useful as ENG in evaluating nerve regeneration, suggesting it could be a valuable tool for assessing nerve damage and repair.

Study Duration

24 weeks

Participants

45 female Wistar rats

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
MEP and ENG stimulations both resulted in evoked potentials, with larger amplitude values following the application of magnetic pulses.
2
Statistically significant correlations were observed between MEP and ENG results for peroneal and tibial nerve amplitude on the non-operated side and peroneal nerve amplitude on the operated side.
3
Recorded latencies of the evoked potentials were shorter in the ENG studies than in the MEPs for the non-operated side.

Research Summary

This study evaluated the usefulness of motor potentials evoked transvertebrally at lumbar levels in assessing peroneal nerve regeneration in rats after experimental repair. Recordings were performed 24 weeks after grafts on surgically treated hindlimbs and non-operated hindlimbs as controls, using both MEP and ENG techniques. The study concluded that MEPs are as useful as ENG studies for evaluating regeneration in the motor fibers of hindlimb nerves in rats, without showing any evident superiority.

Practical Implications

Diagnostic Tool

Transvertebral MEPs can be used in the diagnostic evaluation of efferent impulse transmission at different levels of the motor pathway.

Nerve Regeneration Assessment

MEP recording can be implemented to evaluate nerve impulse transmission within axons of the whole efferent pathway from the spinal motor center when confirming the regeneration process in the peripheral nervous system.

Personalized Diagnosis

The clinical importance of MEPs induced transvertebrally is crucial for the personalized diagnosis of patients with motor disorders.

Study Limitations

1
Inter-animal variability resulting from physiological differences between animals.
2
Quality of the ENG recordings, which can be affected by high-amplitude electrical stimulus artifacts.
3
Inaccuracy of conduction distance measurements between the pairs of stimulating electrodes releasing the electrical pulse and a pair of recording electrodes.

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