FIGURE 2.

Quantitative results of the staircase test showing recovery of skilled forelimb reaching revealed by individual success rates in pellet retrieval over 16 weeks post-surgery. The success rates of ANG-reconstructed forelimbs significantly increased 16 weeks after reconstruction when compared to the 4-week time point. CorrCNG[F]-reconstructed forelimbs recovered to the same extend as forelimbs of the ANG group, while not all forelimbs of the CNG and CNG[F] groups achieved pre-surgical performance levels. Two-way ANOVA showed an effect of the parameters 4 vs. 16 weeks post-surgery [F(3,80) = 12.9, p < 0.0001] and groups [F(3,80) = 5.59, p = 0.0016] but there was no interaction. Tukey’s multiple comparisons were applied to detect significant differences (^∗p < 0.05 vs. 4 weeks post-surgery within the same group). Values are displayed as median ± range and displayed as percentages in relation to pre-surgical healthy nerve mean values shown as baseline at 100%. ANG, autologous nerve graft; CNG, chitosan nerve guide; CNG[F], chitosan-film enhanced chitosan nerve guide; corrCNG[F], corrugated chitosan-film enhanced chitosan nerve guide: n = 6).