Peripheral nerve injuries with a nerve gap are commonly encountered clinical problems, which result in long-term functional deficits. Investigations using artificial conduits and growth factors have aided in nerve regeneration. The influence of the extracellular matrix (ECM), on the other hand, has not been defined. This study aims to identify the role of the extracellular matrix in nerve regeneration through the assessment and comparison of structural, functional, and electrophysiological characteristics. A rat sciatic nerve injury model is used. In group one, the nerve gap is bridged with a 1cm long vein graft injected with nerve growth factor. Group two uses a vein graft injected with a biodegradable extracellular matrix. In group three, the vein graft is filled with a mixture of nerve growth factors and an extracellular matrix scaffold. The final two groups use reversed nerve graft or empty vein graft as a conduit, which serves as the control. The rats are then analyzed at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 for differences in functional recovery using digital walking track analysis. After completion of functional analysis, the motor nerve conduction velocity across the repaired nerve is measured and compared to the contralateral normal sciatic nerve to determine electrophysiological differences among the groups. Similarly, histopathologic analysis is performed to identify differences in structural quality and quantity of the different groups of regenerated nerve segments. The results of the assessment and comparison of structural, functional, and electrophysiologic characteristics suggest that the addition of an extracellular matrix scaffold to nerve growth factors has an impact on nerve regeneration. Early study results indicate that the ECM may accelerate nerve regeneration in a bimodal fashion. Future experiments examining the mechanism of this cellular interaction are necessary to identify the most ideal scaffold and growth factor combination.