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Updated: May 3, 2026
In Vivo Electrophysiological Measurement of the Rat Ulnar Nerve with Axonal Excitability Testing
Published on: February 6, 2018
In vitro electrophoresis and in vivo electrophysiology of peripheral nerve using DC field stimulation
Roger D Madison1, Grant A Robinson2, Christian Krarup3
1Surgery Department, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States; Research Service of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, United States.
Background:
Given the movement of molecules within tissue that occurs naturally by endogenous electric fields, we examined the possibility of using a low-voltage DC field to move charged substances in rodent peripheral nerve in vitro.
New Method:
Labeled sugar- and protein-based markers were applied to a rodent peroneal nerve and then a 5-10 V/cm field was used to move the molecules within the extra- and intraneural compartments. Physiological and anatomical nerve properties were also assessed using the same stimulation in vivo.
Results:
We demonstrate in vitro that charged and labeled compounds are capable of moving in a DC field along a nerve, and that the same field applied in vivo changes the excitability of the nerve, but without damage.
Conclusions:
The results suggest that low-voltage electrophoresis could be used to move charged molecules, perhaps therapeutically, safely along peripheral nerves.
