Fig. 1.
Crush injury to the sciatic nerve induces thermal sensitivity in the ipsilateral but not contralateral paw in adult female rats. When paw withdrawal latencies (PWLs) were measured in sham-injured animals (A), there was no change in the ipsilateral (right) paw compared with the contralateral (left) paw at any time point (at baseline [B], day 0 [before surgery], and postoperative day [POD] 2) (n = 5 rats per data point). However, when PWLs were measured in crush-injured animals (B), there was a significant decrease in PWLs in the ipsilateral paw when compared with the contralateral paw (***P < 0.001) on POD 2 (B) validating quick development of thermal hypersensitivity. Note the stable PWLs recordings at the baseline and immediately before crush injury (day 0) in both paws of sham and crush-injured rats (n = 6 rats per data point).