Testing Sensory Nerve Function in a Surgically Denervated Mouse Model

Begin with an anesthetized mouse with exposed dorsal skin. Disinfect the area and cover it.

Make a midline incision from the neck to just above the tail.

Pull the left-side skin to create a skin flap and expose the underlying tissue.

Place the mouse under a microscope and locate the sensory nerves.

Carefully pull and remove these nerves without disrupting the blood vessels.

Moisten the tissue and remove the remaining nerves from the skin flap, creating a denervated area.

On the right side, leave the nerves intact as a control. Suture the skin incision.

Allow the mouse to recover.

To assess stable denervation several weeks after surgery, use the same denervated mouse with shaved dorsal skin.

Using a needle, prick at the control area, generating a mechanical stimulation.

This excites the underlying nerves, sending a signal to the brain and causing the mouse to respond.

However, pricking the denervated area fails to generate a response, confirming the role of sensory nerves.

Anesthetize the animal. Shave the entire dorsal skin and clean the area similar to the biopsy procedure. Now, make an incision using a sterile scalpel along the dorsal midline from the base of the neck, to roughly