The ex vivo mouse hemidiaphragm assay measures
contraction of the diaphragm in an isolated nerve-muscle
preparation using a force transducer. Thus, this assay
requires a skilled technique with specialized equipment
(Sesardic, 2011; Straughan, 2006). An ex vivo assay using
the mouse phrenic nerve has been developed with higher
precision using an inbred mouse strain (Rasetti-Escargueil
et al., 2009)