155 - Comparative Anatomy of the Brachial Plexus in Primates

Poster Board Number: 155
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Abstract Body : The brachial plexus, a network of ventral rami innervating the forelimbs, has been extensively reviewed in humans and other closely related primates. However much of the available literature is difficult to interpret, contain gaps in their descriptions, or were done decades, some centuries ago, and fail to demonstrate a relationship between primates. A comprehensive literature search of primate brachial plexuses and a dissection of two macaques, one male and one female, was performed to establish a relationship between the brachial plexuses of primates, demonstrating the importance and preservation of the structure of the brachial plexus between species. We have found that the roots contributing to the brachial plexus commonly found in humans (C5-T1) are conserved throughout species with the additional C4 or T2 contribution in some primates. Despite the difference in complexity of the brachial plexus in some primates versus others, we have found that the terminal branches ulnar and musculocutaneous nerves have demonstrated to be the most conserved structures. Thus, we propose that the brachial plexus is conserved across primates, but specifically parts of the brachial plexus are more conserved than others despite their structural difference. We suspect an evolutionary and functional origin to this conservation across the Order Primates.