A Mouse Model of Direct Anastomosis via the Prespinal Route for Crossing Nerve Transfer Surgery

Crossing nerve transfer surgery has been a powerful approach for repairing injured upper extremities in patients with brachial plexus avulsion injuries. Recently, this surgery was creatively applied in the clinical treatment of brain injury and achieved substantial rehabilitation of the paralyzed arm. This functional recovery after the surgery suggests that peripheral sensorimotor intervention induces profound neuroplasticity to compensate for the loss of function after brain damage; however, the underlying neural mechanism is poorly understood. Therefore, an emergent clinical animal model is required. Here, we simulated clinical surgery to establish a protocol of direct anastomosis of bilateral brachial plexus nerves via the prespinal route in mice. Neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, and behavioral experiments helped identify that the transferred nerves of these mice successfully reinnervated the impaired forelimb and contributed to accelerating motor recovery after brain injury. Therefore, the mouse model revealed the neural mechanisms underlying rehabilitation upon crossing nerve transfer after central and peripheral nervous system injuries.