Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40040837›Full record

ArticleJBMR plus2025

Spatial histomorphometry reveals that local peripheral nerves modulate but are not required for skeletal adaptation to applied load in mice.

Alec T Beeve, Mohamed G Hassan, Anna Li, Nicole Migotsky, Matthew J Silva, Erica L Scheller

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JBMR plus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Spatial transcriptomics for gene discovery identifiesbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Alec T BeeveDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, United States.
Mohamed G HassanDepartment of Medicine, Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States.
Anna LiDepartment of Medicine, Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States.
Nicole MigotskyDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, United States.
Matthew J SilvaDepartment of Orthopaedics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States.
Erica L SchellerDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1551-3816

Funding

Response of the Osteoporotic Skeleton to Mechanical LoadingR01AR047867 · NIAMS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI MATTHEW J SILVA · 2001 to 2026
$8.4M
Resource Based Center for Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine (Overall Application)P30AR074992 · NIAMS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI DEBORAH J VEIS · 2019 to 2026
$6.8M
Skeletal Disorders Training ProgramT32AR060719 · NIAMS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Roberto Civitelli · 2011 to 2026
$4.6M
Sarm1 and neural regulation of boneR01DK132073 · NIDDK · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Erica Lynn Scheller · 2023 to 2026
$1.6M
Characterization and function of a new p75-NTR+ cellular network in craniofacial boneR21DE032420 · NIDCR · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI SCHELLER, ERICA LYNN · 2023 to 2023
$428k
Influence of Genetic Background on Bone Anabolic Response to Mechanical LoadingR21AR079052 · NIAMS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI SILVA, MATTHEW J · 2022 to 2023
$394k
Neuroskeletal crosstalk in load-induced bone formationF31AR081123 · NIAMS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI BEEVE, ALEC T · 2022 to 2023
$76k
NIAMS NIH HHS F31 AR081123NIAMS NIH HHS P30 AR074992NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR047867NIAMS NIH HHS R21 AR079052NIAMS NIH HHS T32 AR060719NIDCR NIH HHS R21 DE032420NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK132073
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mechanical loading is required for bone health and results in skeletal adaptation to optimize strength. Local nerve axons, particularly within the periosteum, may respond to load-induced biomechanical and biochemical cues. However, their role in the bone anabolic response remains controversial. We hypothesized that spatial alignment of periosteal nerves with sites of load-induced bone formation would clarify this relationship. To achieve this, we developed RadialQuant, a custom tool for spatial histomorphometry. Tibiae of control and neurectomized (sciatic/femoral nerve cut) pan-neuronal Baf53b-tdTomato reporter mice were loaded for 5 days. Bone formation and periosteal nerve axon density were then quantified simultaneously in non-decalcified sections of the mid-diaphysis using RadialQuant. In control animals, anabolic loading induced maximal periosteal bone formation at the site of peak compression, as has been reported previously. By contrast, loading did not significantly change overall periosteal nerve density. Neurectomy depleted ~90% of all periosteal axons, with near-total depletion on load-responsive surfaces. Neurectomy alone also caused de novo bone formation on the lateral aspect of the mid-diaphysis. However, neurectomy did not inhibit load-induced increases in periosteal bone area, mineralizing surface, or bone formation rate. Rather, neurectomy spatially redistributed load-induced bone formation toward the lateral tibial surface with a reduction in periosteal bone formation at the posterolateral apex (-63%) and enhancement at the lateral surface (+1360%). Altogether, this contributed to comparable load-induced changes in cortical bone area fraction. Our results show that local skeletal innervation modulates but is not required for skeletal adaptation to applied load in our model. This supports the continued use of loading and weight-bearing exercise as an effective strategy to increase bone mass, even in settings of peripheral nerve damage or dysfunction.

Indexed as

biomechanical loadingbiomechanicsbone-brain-nervous system interactionsbone histomorphometryinteroceptionosteoblastssensory nerve

Identifiers

PMID40040837
PMCPMC11878550

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.