NEUROANATOMICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL CHARACTERISATION OF A MOUSE MODEL OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

Despite extensive work on peripheral nerve regeneration following injury, the mechanisms governing recovery in genital mechanosensory systems remain poorly understood. This knowledge gap is particularly relevant in the context of female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice affecting more than 230 million women and girls worldwide. In somatic neuropathic pain, mechanical allodynia likely arises through both central and peripheral mechanisms, including altered mechanoreceptor reinnervation by myelinated A-beta fibres and increased nociceptor sprouting into denervated territories. We aimed to determine whether this structural reorganisation model also governs sensory recovery following clitoral injury in a novel mouse model of FGM. We developed a mouse model of FGM to investigate the neuroanatomical and functional consequences of clitoral injury. Clitoral transections were performed at postnatal day 10 (P10) and P40, modelling injuries occurring in young and adolescent girls. Three-dimensional sensory innervation was reconstructed using tissue clearing and immunolabelling. Sensory function was assessed using von Frey testing and a wireless genital vibration–based conditioned place preference paradigm. In contrast to somatic nerve injury models, both myelinated and unmyelinated fibres rapidly regenerated within 7-10 days post-injury. Krause corpuscles, the primary clitoral mechanoreceptors, reformed without preferential nociceptor invasion, but displayed abnormal elongation. Regenerated A-beta fibres showed multidirectional, disorganised growth and reduced myelination compared to proximal segments. Behaviourally, injured mice exhibited altered genital tactile sensitivity and shifted preferences in vibration-based reward tasks. These findings provide the first three-dimensional reconstruction of clitoral neuroregeneration and suggest a genital-specific mechanism of sensory recovery distinct from that observed in other skin territories.