Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (587 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord, including the autonomic, cranial, and spinal nerves. Peripheral nerves contain non-neuronal cells and connective tissue as well as axons. The connective tissue layers include, from the outside to the inside, the epineurium, the perineurium, and the endoneurium.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Nerve, Peripheral; Nerves, Peripheral; Peripheral Nerve; Endoneurium; Endoneuriums; Epineurium; Epineuriums; Perineurium.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Peripheral Nervous System
- Narrower topics
- Autonomic Pathways; Blood-Nerve Barrier; Cranial Nerves; Schwann Cells; Spinal Nerves
- See also
- Nerve Fibers
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 286,110 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Peripheral Nerves” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 34,288 of them (12.0%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 145,073 records.
Reviews account for 21,420 records (7.5%) and meta-analyses for 924. Randomized controlled trials number 4,781 (1.7%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 145,073 |
| 2000-2009 | 50,589 |
| 2010-2019 | 56,160 |
| 2020 onward | 34,288 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 21,420 | 7.5% |
| Meta-analyses | 924 | 0.3% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 4,781 | 1.7% |
Method: PubMed query "Peripheral Nerves"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in neuroscience
Neuroscience draws on tools with different strengths: cellular and animal work can manipulate circuits directly, while human imaging and electrophysiology observe the living brain at lower resolution. Small imaging studies are prone to false positives, and findings in animals do not always carry over to people. Clinical neurology and psychiatry rely on trials and cohort studies whose outcomes are often symptom scales. Check the species, the sample size, how the outcome was measured and whether results were replicated.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-frequency tibial neuromodulation excites bladder activity in humans | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 42695443 · DOI · PMC13544907 |
| Cortical and white matter myelination proceed in concert during early infancy | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42310317 · DOI · PMC13276173 |
| Effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation on peripheral nerve regeneration after digital neurorrhaphy: A randomized clinical trial | 2025 | Randomized controlled trial Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42282261 · DOI · PMC13250519 |
Low-frequency tibial neuromodulation excites bladder activity in humans [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Despite widespread clinical adoption for disorders of incontinence such as overactive bladder, there remain unknowns surrounding the mechanism that underpins tibial nerve stimulation (TNS).
- Closing excerpt
- We hope that future clinical research will determine the efficacy of low-frequency TNS as a non-invasive treatment option for urinary retention.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (213 words)
Despite widespread clinical adoption for disorders of incontinence such as overactive bladder, there remain unknowns surrounding the mechanism that underpins tibial nerve stimulation (TNS). Current understanding suggests that TNS counteracts incontinence by the inhibition of brainstem and spinal cord activity. How this inhibition alters bladder function is not fully understood. We hypothesize that the supraspinal components of the system act as a high-pass filter, allowing voiding signals to proceed only when bladder filling reaches a critical level. Testing this hypothesis may explain how TNS is able to induce both an inhibitory and a little-explored excitatory effect on bladder activity in response to high-frequency (20 Hz) and low-frequency (1 Hz) stimulation, respectively. We performed a single-blinded trial in healthy human participants administered high- and low-frequency transcutaneous TNS. We also developed a computational model of the lower-urinary tract and control circuit to study the frequency-dependent effects of TNS. For the first time, we report a frequency-dependent effect of TNS via the ability to alter urge perception and upregulate and downregulate bladder activity, corroborating model predictions. These results provide a foundation for the development of targeted and effective TNS therapies, benefiting from in silico models. We hope that future clinical research will determine the efficacy of low-frequency TNS as a non-invasive treatment option for urinary retention.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42695443 · DOI · PMC13544907
Cortical and white matter myelination proceed in concert during early infancy [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The infant brain undergoes rapid myelination that is critical for healthy brain function.
- Closing excerpt
- As T1w/T2w and R1 are associated with myelin content, our results reveal an intricate relationship between gray and white matter myelination.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (150 words)
The infant brain undergoes rapid myelination that is critical for healthy brain function. This development has been characterized for gray and white matter independently, but the link between gray and white matter myelination remains unexplored. To close this knowledge gap, we evaluated two complementary myelin-sensitive imaging metrics: Large-scale (N = 273) T1w/T2w and quantitative (N = 21) R1 data. Automated software was employed to identify 26 white matter bundles and map their cortical terminations, before evaluating T1w/T2w and R1 development shortly after birth. Here we show that for both metrics mean values as well as developmental slopes are correlated across tissues. The synchrony of brain T1w/T2w is impacted by postmenstrual age and prematurity, whereas inter-individual differences in this synchrony predict motor outcomes at 17 - 25 months of age. As T1w/T2w and R1 are associated with myelin content, our results reveal an intricate relationship between gray and white matter myelination.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42310317 · DOI · PMC13276173
Effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation on peripheral nerve regeneration after digital neurorrhaphy: A randomized clinical trial [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundSensory recovery following digital nerve neurorrhaphy is often incomplete, and strategies to enhance regeneration remain under investigation.
- Closing excerpt
- Level of evidenceTherapeutic Level I.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (224 words)
BackgroundSensory recovery following digital nerve neurorrhaphy is often incomplete, and strategies to enhance regeneration remain under investigation. Low-frequency transcutaneous electrical stimulation has been proposed as a potential adjunctive therapy, but its efficacy in clinical settings is uncertain.MethodsIn this randomized controlled trial, 32 patients with isolated traumatic digital nerve injuries underwent surgical neurorrhaphy at a tertiary care hospital. Participants were randomly allocated to an intervention group (n = 16) or sham group (n = 16). The intervention consisted of a single postoperative session of square-pulsed, biphasic transcutaneous electrical stimulation at 20 Hz for 1 hour. The sham group received identical conditions without active stimulation. After stimulation, patients underwent physiotherapy sessions for three months. Sensory recovery was assessed using Semmes-Weinstein monofilament testing and two-point discrimination at baseline, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively.ResultsBoth groups showed progressive sensory improvement throughout follow-up, approaching normal values at 3 months. No statistically significant differences were observed between groups in any outcome measure. Confidence intervals for group comparisons overlapped, and no clinically meaningful differences were detected. No adverse effects were reported.ConclusionsIn this model, a single postoperative session of low-frequency transcutaneous electrical stimulation did not significantly enhance sensory recovery after digital nerve repair. Further research with varied stimulation protocols, repeated sessions, or extended follow-up may be warranted to clarify its potential role in peripheral nerve regeneration.Level of evidenceTherapeutic Level I.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42282261 · DOI · PMC13250519
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Does continuous peripheral nerve block provide superior pain control to opioids? A meta-analysis [4]
- Research article Radial nerve palsy associated with fractures of the shaft of the humerus: a systematic review [5]
- Research article Optic nerve sheath diameter measured sonographically as non-invasive estimator of intracranial pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis for pain due to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer pain: a meta-analysis and systematic review [7]
- Research article Systematic review with meta-analysis of studies comparing intraoperative neuromonitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerves versus visualization alone during thyroidectomy [8]
- Research article Can MRI measure myelin? Systematic review, qualitative assessment, and meta-analysis of studies validating microstructural imaging with myelin histology [9]
References
- McConnell-Trevillion A, Jabbari M, Ju W, Lister E, Erfanian A, Mitra S, et al.. Low-frequency tibial neuromodulation excites bladder activity in humans. . 2026. PMID 42695443 · DOI · PMC13544907
- Zika S, Chang K, Orhon A, Kruper J, Tyagi C, Yan X, et al.. Cortical and white matter myelination proceed in concert during early infancy. . 2026. PMID 42310317 · DOI · PMC13276173
- de Mattos ESR, Guedes A, Zana Y, Lessa PIF, Antunes Júnior CR, Barreto ESR, et al.. Effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation on peripheral nerve regeneration after digital neurorrhaphy: A randomized clinical trial. . 2025. PMID 42282261 · DOI · PMC13250519
- Richman JM, Liu SS, Courpas G, Wong R, Rowlingson AJ, McGready J, et al.. Does continuous peripheral nerve block provide superior pain control to opioids? A meta-analysis. Anesth Analg. 2006. PMID 16368838 · DOI
- Shao YC, Harwood P, Grotz MR, Limb D, Giannoudis PV. Radial nerve palsy associated with fractures of the shaft of the humerus: a systematic review. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2005. PMID 16326879 · DOI
- Robba C, Santori G, Czosnyka M, Corradi F, Bragazzi N, Padayachy L, et al.. Optic nerve sheath diameter measured sonographically as non-invasive estimator of intracranial pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Intensive Care Med. 2018. PMID 30019201 · DOI
- Puli SR, Reddy JB, Bechtold ML, Antillon MR, Brugge WR. EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis for pain due to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer pain: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Dig Dis Sci. 2009. PMID 19137428 · DOI
- Pisanu A, Porceddu G, Podda M, Cois A, Uccheddu A. Systematic review with meta-analysis of studies comparing intraoperative neuromonitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerves versus visualization alone during thyroidectomy. J Surg Res. 2014. PMID 24433869 · DOI
- Lazari A, Lipp I. Can MRI measure myelin? Systematic review, qualitative assessment, and meta-analysis of studies validating microstructural imaging with myelin histology. Neuroimage. 2021. PMID 33524576 · DOI · PMC8063174
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.