Criteria for assessing peripheral nerve injury. Behavioral and functional assessment in non-operated Wistar rats

Purpose To evaluate the normality pattern in functional tests of peripheral nerves. Methods Sixty female and sixty male Wistar rats were submitted to vibrissae movement and nictitating reflex for facial nerve; grooming test and grasping test for brachial plexus; and walking tracking test and horizontal ladder test for lumbar plexus. The tests were performed separately, with an interval of seven days between each. Results All animals showed the best score in vibrissae movement, nictitating reflex, grooming test, and horizontal ladder test. The best score was acquired for the first time in more than 90% of animals. The mean of strength on the grasping test was 133.46±12.08g for the right and 121.74±8.73g for the left anterior paw. There was a difference between the right and left sides. There was no difference between the groups according to sex. There is no statistical difference comparing all functional indexes between sex, independent of the side analyzed. The peroneal functional index showed higher levels than the sciatic and tibial functional index on both sides and sex. Conclusions The behavioral and functional assessment of peripheral nerve regeneration are low-cost, easy to perform, and reliable tests. However, they need to be performed by experienced researchers to avoid misinterpretation.