Cortical brain mapping of peripheral nerves using functional magnetic resonance imaging in a rodent model. J Reconstr Microsurg 2008 Nov;24(8):551-7
Date
10/17/2008Pubmed ID
18924070Pubmed Central ID
PMC2577710DOI
10.1055/s-0028-1088231Scopus ID
2-s2.0-57149095636 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 9 CitationsAbstract
The regions of the body have cortical and subcortical representation in proportion to their degree of innervation. The rat forepaw has been studied extensively in recent years using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), typically by stimulation using electrodes directly inserted into the skin of the forepaw. Here we stimulate the nerve directly using surgically implanted electrodes. A major distinction is that stimulation of the skin of the forepaw is mostly sensory, whereas direct nerve stimulation reveals not only the sensory system but also deep brain structures associated with motor activity. In this article, we seek to define both the motor and sensory cortical and subcortical representations associated with the four major nerves of the rodent upper extremity. We electrically stimulated each nerve (median, ulnar, radial, and musculocutaneous) during fMRI acquisition using a 9.4-T Bruker scanner (Bruker BioSpin, Billerica, MA). A current level of 0.5 to 1.0 mA and a frequency of 5 Hz were used while keeping the duration constant. A distinct pattern of cortical activation was found for each nerve that can be correlated with known sensorimotor afferent and efferent pathways to the rat forepaw. This direct nerve stimulation rat model can provide insight into peripheral nerve injury.
Author List
Cho YR, Jones SR, Pawela CP, Li R, Kao DS, Schulte ML, Runquist ML, Yan JG, Hudetz AG, Jaradeh SS, Hyde JS, Matloub HSAuthors
Hani S. Matloub MD Professor in the Plastic Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinChristopher Pawela PhD Associate Professor in the Biomedical Engineering department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsBrain Mapping
Cerebral Cortex
Electric Stimulation
Electrodes, Implanted
Forelimb
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Median Nerve
Models, Animal
Motor Activity
Musculocutaneous Nerve
Radial Nerve
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Somatosensory Cortex
Ulnar Nerve
