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Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Imaging and Analysis of Neurofilament Transport in Excised Mouse Tibial Nerve
Published on: August 31, 2020
Protocol to image and analyze the morphology of mouse peripheral nerves using transmission electron microscopy
Hiromi Nakai-Shimoda1, Tatsuhito Himeno2, Mikio Motegi1
1Division of Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute 480-1185, Japan.
Abstract:
Morphological analysis of peripheral nerves in mouse models can be used to characterize the pathophysiology of peripheral nerve disease, but obtaining high-quality electron micrographs can be challenging. Here, we present a protocol to obtain electron micrographs of mouse peripheral nerves. We detail the procedures of sampling, fixation, and embedding of peripheral nerves. We then outline the steps for ultrathin sectioning and transmission electron microscopy imaging. Finally, we describe morphological evaluation of nerve fibers in these images using ImageJ and AxonSeg. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Nakai-Shimoda et al. (2021).

