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Traumatic Peripheral Nerve Injuries: Experimental Models for Repair and Reconstruction

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Animal Models of Neurotrauma

Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 149))

Abstract

Peripheral nerve injuries are difficult to treat, and the clinical outcome after surgical repair and reconstruction is still insufficient, particularly concerning recovery of sensory function. To improve the clinical treatment strategies, experimental models are used to systematically examine the mechanisms behind nerve regeneration and assess the improvement of nerve regeneration by introduction of new surgical nerve repair and reconstruction methods (e.g., novel devices made by bioartificial materials). Rat models, where the sciatic nerve has essentially a similar size as a human digital nerve, are widely used to evaluate nerve regeneration with the inherent advantages and disadvantages of the experimental models. Estimations revealing that a large number of diabetic patients will eventually suffer from peripheral nerve injury have motivated development of suitable experimental diabetes models for studying the nerve regeneration process and novel treatment approaches. We have successfully used the Goto-Kakizaki rat model, which shows moderately increased blood sugar closely resembling type 2 diabetes, for assessing the surgical peripheral nerve regeneration potential with and without artificial scaffolds. In order to improve outcome after repair and reconstruction of nerve injuries, one has to have a clear concept concerning how to evaluate novel repair and reconstruction techniques in experimental models before clinical studies can be initiated in an accurate way.

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Acknowledgements

The projects performed by the authors have received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No. [278612 (BIOHYBRID)], the Swedish Research Council (Medicine), Lund University, Sydvästra Skånes Diabetesförening, and Region Skåne (Skåne University Malmö, Lund), Sweden.

We acknowledge our friend and mentor Professor Martin Kanje, Ph.D., who died in 2013. Martin should be remembered as an outstanding scientist in the field of mechanisms in nerve regeneration and improvement of outcome. He will continue to be an inspiration in our research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hand Surgery, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden

    Lars B. Dahlin

  2. Department of Translational Medicine – Hand Surgery, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden

    Lars B. Dahlin & Lena Stenberg

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Institution of Clinical Sciences in Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Ulrica Englund Johansson

  4. Section of Functional Zoology, Department of Biology – Animal Physiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Fredrik Johansson

Authors
  1. Lars B. Dahlin
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  2. Lena Stenberg
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  3. Ulrica Englund Johansson
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  4. Fredrik Johansson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lars B. Dahlin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Experimental Traumatology, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Mårten Risling

  2. Division of Vehicle Safety, Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Johan Davidsson

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Dahlin, L.B., Stenberg, L., Johansson, U.E., Johansson, F. (2019). Traumatic Peripheral Nerve Injuries: Experimental Models for Repair and Reconstruction. In: Risling, M., Davidsson, J. (eds) Animal Models of Neurotrauma. Neuromethods, vol 149. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9711-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9711-4_9

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