Dermatomes in the rat limbs as determined by antidromic stimulation of sensory C-fibers in spinal nerves

Abstract
Mal innervation area of the spinal nerve appeared in the skin. Maximal innervation areas generally overlapped the adjacent areas. Each digit was innervated by two to three spinal nerves. Composite dermatomes were determined where boundary lines were defined as the midline of overlapping areas. Based on the composite dermatomes, boundary lines in the rat fore- and hindlimbs were revealed to loop around the antero-posterior axis showing a V-shaped pattern in the anterior and posterior aspects and converge to the ventral and dorsal midlines of the limb. The present dermatome chart may be applied to research concerning the segmental distribution of sensory C-fibers. *Corresponding author: Yuzuru Takahasi, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260, Japan. Tel.: (81) 43 226 2117; Fax: (81) 43 226 2116. Submitted July 3, 1995; accepted February 19, 1996. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers....