This study examined the origin and distribution of the brachial plexus in the African giant pouched rat. Ten adult animals (five males and five females) obtained from the wild were used. Cotton blocks were soaked in 2% hydrogen peroxide and placed on the ventral roots of the plexuses to facilitate visualization and tracing. The brachial plexus primarily originated from the caudal branch of the ventral ramus of cervical nerve 5 (C5), ventral ramus of cervical nerve 6 (C6), cervical nerve 7 (C7), cervical nerve 8 (C8), and cranial branch of the ventral ramus of first thoracic nerve (T1). The cranial trunk was formed by the caudal branch of the ventral ramus of C5 and the ventral ramus of C6; two branches originating from C6 were bound to the cranial part of C7 to form the middle trunk, while the caudal trunk was formed by the ventral ramus of C7, C8, and T1. The peripheral nerve trunks and their respective spinal nerve origin (in parenthesis) were cranial pectoral (C5–C6), suprascapular (C5–C6), cranial subscapular (C5–C7), caudal subscapular (C6–C7), axillary (C6–C7), musculocutaneous (C7–C8), median (C6–T1), radial (C7–T1), ulna (C7–T1), thoracodorsal (C6–T1), long thoracic (C7–T1), and lateral thoracic (C8–T1). To summarize, the peripheral nerves of the brachial plexus displayed some differences when compared with other rodents.
Cite this article as: Ibe, C.S., Benson, S.U., Ikpegbu, E., 2020. Origin and Distribution of the Brachial Plexus in the African Giant Pouched Rat (Cricetomys gambianus-WATERHOUSE, 1840). Acta Vet Eurasia 2020; 46: 115-119.