Fig. 5. Repeated activation of adult hM3Dq⁺ DRG neurons improves proprioceptive functional recovery.

Sensory testing was performed before dorsal root crush (baseline testing) and every week after dorsal root crush from week 2 to week 12. a In the grid walking test, both animal groups had comparable deficits in their ability to correctly place their affected forepaw on rungs while walking on a gridded platform on the grid early on. While the deficit persisted in the mCherry⁺ animals, repeated, daily activation of hM3Dq⁺ DRGs with CNO resulted in improved paw placement starting 6 weeks post injury. b Dorsal root crush compromised mechanical sensation in the ipsilateral forepaw, as determined using Von Frey filaments. The response threshold did not differ between groups at any testing time point. c Thermal sensitivity was also diminished after dorsal root crush injuries, as indicated in the Hargreaves’ test. Both animal groups showed increased response latency after the injury. There were no differences between groups. N = 7 animals per group. Mean ± SEM. Two-way ANOVA and post-hoc multiple comparisons testing using the two-stage step-up method of Benjamini, Krieger, and Yekutieli, **p < 0.01 (mCherry vs. hM3Dq Week 9 p = 0.0023, Week 10 p = 0.0049, Week 11 p = 0.0027, Week 12 p = 0.0065), ***p = 0.0003, ****p < 0.0001. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.