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Ridlen R, McGrath K, Gorrie CA. Animal models of compression spinal cord injury. J Neurosci Res 2022; 100:2201-2212. [PMID: 36121155 PMCID: PMC9825893 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Compression spinal cord injuries are a common cause of morbidity in people who experience a spinal cord injury (SCI). Either as a by-product of a traumatic injury or due to nontraumatic conditions such as cervical myelitis, compression injuries are growing in prevalence clinically and many attempts of animal replication have been described within the literature. These models, however, often focus on the traumatic side of injury or mimic short-term injuries that are not representative of the majority of compression SCI. Of this, nontraumatic spinal cord injuries are severely understudied and have an increased prevalence in elderly populations, adults, and children. Therefore, there is a need to critically evaluate the current animal models of compression SCI and their suitability as a method for clinically relevant data that can help reduce morbidity and mortality of SCI. In this review, we reviewed the established and emerging methods of animal models of compression SCI. These models are the clip, balloon, solid spacer, expanding polymer, remote, weight drop, calibrated forceps, screw, and strap methods. These methods showed that there is a large reliance on the use of laminectomy to induce injury. Furthermore, the age range of many studies does not reflect the elderly and young populations that commonly suffer from compression injuries. It is therefore important to have techniques and methods that are able to minimize secondary effects of the surgeries, and are representative of the clinical cases seen so that treatments and interventions can be developed that are specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reggie Ridlen
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Technology SydneyUltimoNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Kristine McGrath
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Technology SydneyUltimoNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Catherine A. Gorrie
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Technology SydneyUltimoNew South WalesAustralia
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2
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Asadi-Golshan R, Razban V, Mirzaei E, Rahmanian A, Khajeh S, Mostafavi-Pour Z, Dehghani F. Efficacy of dental pulp-derived stem cells conditioned medium loaded in collagen hydrogel in spinal cord injury in rats: Stereological evidence. J Chem Neuroanat 2021; 116:101978. [PMID: 34098013 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2021.101978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes histological alterations which in turn affects functional activity. Studies have demonstrated that dental pulp-derived stem cells conditioned medium has beneficial effects on the nervous system. Besides, collagen hydrogel acts as a drug releasing system in SCI investigations. This research aimed to evaluate effects of dental pulp-derived stem cells conditioned medium loaded in collagen hydrogel in SCI. After culturing of Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs), SHED-conditioned medium (SHED-CM) was harvested and concentrated. Collagen hydrogel containing SHED-CM was prepared. The rats were divided into five groups receiving laminectomy, compressive SCI with or without intraspinal injection of biomaterials (SHED-CM and collagen hydrogel with or without SHED-CM). After 6 weeks, histological parameters were estimated using stereological methods. The total volume of preserved white matter and gray matter (p < 0.05) as well as the total number of neurons and oligodendrocytes in the rats received SHED-CM loaded in collagen hydrogel were significantly higher, and also lesion volume and lesion length were significantly lower (p < 0.05) compared to those of the other injured groups. In conclusion, intraspinal administration of SHED-CM loaded in collagen hydrogel leads to neuroprotection, proposing a cell-free therapeutic approach in SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Asadi-Golshan
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahid Razban
- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Esmaeil Mirzaei
- Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Sahar Khajeh
- Bone and Joint Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Zohreh Mostafavi-Pour
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Farzaneh Dehghani
- Histomorphometry and Stereology Research Centre, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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3
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Eiber CD, Delbeke J, Cardoso J, de Neeling M, John SE, Lee CW, Skefos J, Sun A, Prodanov D, McKinney Z. Preliminary Minimum Reporting Requirements for In-Vivo Neural Interface Research: I. Implantable Neural Interfaces. IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 2:74-83. [PMID: 33997788 PMCID: PMC8118094 DOI: 10.1109/ojemb.2021.3060919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The pace of research and development in neuroscience, neurotechnology, and neurorehabilitation is rapidly accelerating, with the number of publications doubling every 4.2 years. Maintaining this progress requires technological standards and scientific reporting guidelines to provide frameworks for communication and interoperability. The present lack of such neurotechnology standards limits the transparency, repro-ducibility, and meta-analysis of this growing body of literature, posing an ongoing barrier to research, clinical, and commercial objectives. Continued neurotechnological innovation requires the development of some minimal standards to promote integration between this broad spectrum of technologies and therapies. To preserve design freedom and accelerate the translation of research into safe and effective technologies with maximal user benefit, such standards must be collaboratively co-developed by the full range of neuroscience and neurotechnology stakeholders. This paper summarizes the preliminary recommendations of IEEE P2794 Standards Working Group, developing a Reporting Standard for in-vivo Neural Interface Research (RSNIR).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jorge Cardoso
- Instituto de Medicina MolecularFaculdade de Medicina, Universidade de LisboaLisbon1649-028Portugal
| | | | - Sam E. John
- University of MelbourneMelbourne3010Australia
| | | | | | - Argus Sun
- University of CaliforniaLos AngelesCA90095USA
| | | | - Zach McKinney
- BioRobotics Institute and Center for Excellence in Robotics and AIScuola Superiore Sant'Anna56127PisaItaly
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4
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Bamrungsuk K, Vattarakorn A, Thongta N, Tilokskulchai K, Tapechum S, Chompoopong S. Behavioral and histopathological studies of cervical spinal cord contusion injury in rats caused by an adapted weight-drop device. ASIAN BIOMED 2019. [DOI: 10.1515/abm-2019-0019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Models of spinal cord injury (SCI) caused by weight-drop devices to cause contusion have been used extensively, and transient behavioral deficits after thoracic injury have been demonstrated. The severity of the injury caused by the device should be mild enough to allow recovery.
Objective
To determine whether our adapted weight-drop device with a small tip can effectively induce mild hemicontusion at the level of the fifth cervical vertebra.
Methods
We divided 15 adult male Sprague Dawley rats into groups of 5 for the following treatments: sham (SH, laminectomy only), mild (MSCI) or severe SCI (SSCI). Behavioral tests and histopathology were used before (day 1) and after the treatment on days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 to assess the injury.
Results
Rats with SSCI showed a significant somatosensory deficit on days 3 and 7 compared with rats in the SH group, recovering by day 14. In a horizontal-ladder test of skilled locomotion, rats with SSCI showed a significant increase in error scores and percentage of total rungs used, and a decrease in the percentage of correct paw placement compared with rats in the SH group. There was greater recovery to normal paw placement by rats with MSCI than by rats with SSCI. These behavioral deficits were consistent with histopathology using hematoxylin and eosin counterstained Luxol fast blue, indicating the degree of injury and lesion area.
Conclusions
Mild hemicontusion caused by the adapted device can be used to evaluate SCI and provides a model with which to test the efficacy of translational therapies for SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanyaratana Bamrungsuk
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok 10700 , Thailand
| | - Anchalee Vattarakorn
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok 10700 , Thailand
| | - Namphung Thongta
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok 10700 , Thailand
| | - Kanokwan Tilokskulchai
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok 10700 , Thailand
| | - Sompol Tapechum
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok 10700 , Thailand
| | - Supin Chompoopong
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok 10700 , Thailand
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5
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Richards TM, Sharma P, Kuang A, Whitty D, Ahmed Z, Shah PK. Novel Speed-Controlled Automated Ladder Walking Device Reveals Walking Speed as a Critical Determinant of Skilled Locomotion after a Spinal Cord Injury in Adult Rats. J Neurotrauma 2019; 36:2698-2721. [DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.6152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany M. Richards
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Pawan Sharma
- Department of Physical Therapy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Aaron Kuang
- Department of Physical Therapy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Douglas Whitty
- Department of Physical Therapy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Zaghloul Ahmed
- Department of Physical Therapy, Center for Developmental Neuroscience, The College of Staten Island, Staten Island, New York
- Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York
| | - Prithvi K. Shah
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Physical Therapy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
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Yip PK, Chapman GE, Sillito RR, Ip THR, Akhigbe G, Becker SC, Price AW, Michael-Titus AT, Armstrong JD, Tremoleda JL. Studies on long term behavioural changes in group-housed rat models of brain and spinal cord injury using an automated home cage recording system. J Neurosci Methods 2019; 321:49-63. [PMID: 30991030 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurotrauma patients face major neurological sequelae. The failure in the preclinical-to-clinical translation of candidate therapies could be due to poor evaluation of rodent behaviours after neurotrauma. NEW METHOD A home cage automated system was used to study the long term behaviour of individual rats with traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI) and non-CNS injured controls, whilst group-housed in their home cages. Naïve rats were used as baseline controls. Automated locomotor activity and body temperature recordings were carried out 24 h /day for 3 days/week during 12 weeks post-injury. Behavioural patterns, including aggression, rearing, grooming, feeding and drinking were analysed from automated video recordings during week 1, 6 and 12. RESULTS SCI animals showed a lower locomotor activity compared to TBI or control animals during light and dark phases. TBI animals showed a higher aggression during the dark phase in the first week post-injury compared to SCI or control animals. Individual grooming and rearing were reduced in SCI animals compared to TBI and control animals in the first week post-injury during the dark phase. No differences in drinking or feeding were detected between groups. Locomotor activity did not differ between naïve male and female rats, but body temperature differ between light and dark phases for both. STANDARD METHODS Injury severity was compared to standard SCI and TBI behaviour scores (BBB and mNSS, respectively) and histological analysis. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the practical benefits of using a non-intrusive automated home cage recording system to observe long term individual behaviour of group-housed SCI and TBI rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping K Yip
- Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Centre for Trauma Sciences, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - George E Chapman
- Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Centre for Trauma Sciences, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - T H Richard Ip
- Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Centre for Trauma Sciences, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Georgia Akhigbe
- Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Centre for Trauma Sciences, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie C Becker
- Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Centre for Trauma Sciences, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony W Price
- Biological Services, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Adina T Michael-Titus
- Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Centre for Trauma Sciences, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - J Douglas Armstrong
- Actual Analytics Ltd, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; School of Informatics, Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation. University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jordi L Tremoleda
- Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Centre for Trauma Sciences, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom; Biological Services, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
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7
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Ahmed RU, Alam M, Zheng YP. Experimental spinal cord injury and behavioral tests in laboratory rats. Heliyon 2019; 5:e01324. [PMID: 30906898 PMCID: PMC6411514 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) results in some serious neurophysiological consequences that alter healthy body functions and devastate the quality of living of individuals. To find a cure for SCI, researchers around the world are working on different neurorepair and neurorehabilitation modalities. To test a new treatment for SCI as well as to understand the mechanism of recovery, animal models are being widely used. Among them, SCI rat models are arguably the most prominent. Furthermore, it is important to select a suitable behavioral test to evaluate both the motor and sensory recovery following any therapeutic intervention. In this paper, we review the rat models of spinal injury and commonly used behavioral tests to serve as a useful guideline for neuroscientists in the field of SCI research.
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Diogo CC, da Costa LM, Pereira JE, Filipe V, Couto PA, Geuna S, Armada-da-Silva PA, Maurício AC, Varejão ASP. Kinematic and kinetic gait analysis to evaluate functional recovery in thoracic spinal cord injured rats. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 98:18-28. [PMID: 30611796 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The recovery of walking function following spinal cord injury (SCI) is of major importance to patients and clinicians. In experimental SCI studies, a rat model is widely used to assess walking function, following thoracic spinal cord lesion. In an effort to provide a resource which investigators can refer to when seeking the most appropriate functional assay, the authors have compiled and categorized the behavioral assessments used to measure the deficits and recovery of the gait in thoracic SCI rats. These categories include kinematic and kinetic measurements. Within this categorization, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type of measurement. The present review includes the type of outcome data that they produce, the technical difficulty and the time required to potentially train the animals to perform them, and the need for expensive or highly specialized equipment. The use of multiple kinematic and kinetic parameters is recommended to identify subtle deficits and processes involved in the compensatory mechanisms of walking function after experimental thoracic SCI in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Cardoso Diogo
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Luís Maltez da Costa
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CECAV, Centre for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Studies, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - José Eduardo Pereira
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CECAV, Centre for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Studies, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Vítor Filipe
- Department of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; INESC TEC, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200 - 465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Alexandre Couto
- Department of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CITAB, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Stefano Geuna
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
| | - Paulo A Armada-da-Silva
- Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (FMH), Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa), Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Dafundo, Cruz Quebrada, Portugal; CIPER-FMH: Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudo de Performance Humana, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (FMH), Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa), Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada - Dafundo, Portugal
| | - Ana Colette Maurício
- Department of Veterinary Clinics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, nº 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Animal Science and Study Centre (CECA), Institute of Sciences, Technologies and Agroenvironment of the University of Porto (ICETA), Rua D. Manuel II, Apartado 55142, 4051-401, Porto, Portugal
| | - Artur S P Varejão
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CECAV, Centre for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Studies, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
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9
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Asadi-Golshan R, Razban V, Mirzaei E, Rahmanian A, Khajeh S, Mostafavi-Pour Z, Dehghani F. Sensory and Motor Behavior Evidences Supporting the Usefulness of Conditioned Medium from Dental Pulp-Derived Stem Cells in Spinal Cord Injury in Rats. Asian Spine J 2018; 12:785-793. [PMID: 30213159 PMCID: PMC6147871 DOI: 10.31616/asj.2018.12.5.785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Study Design Experimental animal study. Purpose This study aimed to assess effects of conditioned medium (CM) of dental pulp-derived stem cells loaded in collagen hydrogel on functional recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI). Overview of Literature SCI affects sensory and motor functions, and behavioral recovery is the most essential purpose of therapeutic intervention. Recent studies have reported that CM from dental pulp-derived stem cells has therapeutic benefits. In addition, collagen hydrogel acts as a drug delivery system in SCI experiments. Methods Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs) were cultured, and SHED-CM was harvested and concentrated. Collagen hydrogel containing SHED-CM was prepared. The rats were divided into five groups receiving laminectomy, compressive SCI with or without intraspinal injection of biomaterials (SHED-CM), and collagen hydrogel with or without SHED-CM. Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scoring, inclined plane, cold allodynia, and beam walk tests were performed for 6 weeks to assess locomotor, motor, sensory, and sensory-motor performances, respectively. Results Scores of the rats receiving SHED-CM loaded in collagen hydrogel were significantly better than those of the other injured groups at 1-week post-injury for BBB, 2 weeks for inclined plane, 2 weeks for cold allodynia, and 4 weeks for beam walk tests (p <0.05). The differences remained significant throughout the study. Conclusions Intraspinal administration of SHED-CM loaded in collagen hydrogel leads to improved functional recovery and proposes a cell-free therapeutic approach for SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Asadi-Golshan
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Histomorphometry and Stereology Research Centre, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Cellular and Molecular Medicine Student Research Group, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Vahid Razban
- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Esmaeil Mirzaei
- Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Sahar Khajeh
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Zohreh Mostafavi-Pour
- Recombinant Protein Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Farzaneh Dehghani
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Histomorphometry and Stereology Research Centre, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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10
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Cortical AAV-CNTF Gene Therapy Combined with Intraspinal Mesenchymal Precursor Cell Transplantation Promotes Functional and Morphological Outcomes after Spinal Cord Injury in Adult Rats. Neural Plast 2018; 2018:9828725. [PMID: 30245710 PMCID: PMC6139201 DOI: 10.1155/2018/9828725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) promotes survival and enhances long-distance regeneration of injured axons in parts of the adult CNS. Here we tested whether CNTF gene therapy targeting corticospinal neurons (CSN) in motor-related regions of the cerebral cortex promotes plasticity and regrowth of axons projecting into the female adult F344 rat spinal cord after moderate thoracic (T10) contusion injury (SCI). Cortical neurons were transduced with a bicistronic adeno-associated viral vector (AAV1) expressing a secretory form of CNTF coupled to mCHERRY (AAV-CNTFmCherry) or with control AAV only (AAV-GFP) two weeks prior to SCI. In some animals, viable or nonviable F344 rat mesenchymal precursor cells (rMPCs) were injected into the lesion site two weeks after SCI to modulate the inhibitory environment. Treatment with AAV-CNTFmCherry, as well as with AAV-CNTFmCherry combined with rMPCs, yielded functional improvements over AAV-GFP alone, as assessed by open-field and Ladderwalk analyses. Cyst size was significantly reduced in the AAV-CNTFmCherry plus viable rMPC treatment group. Cortical injections of biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) revealed more BDA-stained axons rostral and alongside cysts in the AAV-CNTFmCherry versus AAV-GFP groups. After AAV-CNTFmCherry treatments, many sprouting mCherry-immunopositive axons were seen rostral to the SCI, and axons were also occasionally found caudal to the injury site. These data suggest that CNTF has the potential to enhance corticospinal repair by transducing parent CNS populations.
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11
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Ozturk O, Tezcan AH, Adali Y, Yıldırım CH, Aksoy O, Yagmurdur H, Bilge A. Effect of ozone and methylprednisolone treatment following crush type sciatic nerve injury. Acta Cir Bras 2017; 31:730-735. [PMID: 27982260 DOI: 10.1590/s0102-865020160110000005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE: To assess and compare the histopathological effects of ozone therapy and/or methylprednisolone (MPS) treatment on regeneration after crush type sciatic nerve injury. METHODS: Forty Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly allocated into four groups. Four groups received the following regimens intraperitoneally every day for 14 days after formation of crush type injury on sciatic nerve: Group I: ozone (20mcg/ml); Group II: methylprednisolone (2mg/kg); Group III: ozone (20 mcg/ml) and methylprednisolone (2mg/kg); Group IV: isotonic saline (0.9%). The histomorphological evaluation was made after biopsies were obtained from the sites of injury. RESULTS: Significant differences were noted between groups in terms of degeneration (p=0.019), nerve sheath cell atrophy (p=0.012), intraneural inflammatory cellular infiltration (p=0.002), perineural granulation tissue formation (p=0.019), perineural vascular proliferation (p=0.004), perineural inflammatory cellular infiltration (p<0.001) and inflammation in peripheral tissue (p=0.006). Degeneration was remarkably low in Group III, while no change in nerve sheath cell was noted in Group II. CONCLUSION: The combined use of methylprednisolone and ozone treatment can have beneficial effects for regeneration after crush type nerve injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omur Ozturk
- Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey. Conception, design, scientific and intellectual contributions of the study, acquisition of data, statistical analysis, manuscript writing, final approval
| | - Aysu Hayriye Tezcan
- Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey. Conception, design, scientific and intellectual contributions of the study, acquisition of data, statistical analysis, manuscript writing, final approval
| | - Yasemen Adali
- Asstistant Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey. Histopathological examinations
| | - Can Hakan Yıldırım
- Asstistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey. Analysis and interpretation of data
| | - Ozgur Aksoy
- Professor, Department of Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey. Technical procedures
| | - Hatice Yagmurdur
- Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey. Critical revision, final approval
| | - Ali Bilge
- Assistant Professor, Department of Ortopedics and Traumatology, School of Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey. Manuscript preparation, final approval
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12
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Diogo CC, Costa LMD, Pereira JE, Filipe V, Couto PA, Magalhães LG, Geuna S, Armada-da-Silva PA, Maurício AC, Varejão AS. Dynamic feet distance: A new functional assessment during treadmill locomotion in normal and thoracic spinal cord injured rats. Behav Brain Res 2017; 335:132-135. [PMID: 28803852 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Of all the detrimental effects of spinal cord injury (SCI), one of the most devastating is the disruption of the ability to perform functional movement. Very little is known on the recovery of hindlimb joint kinematics after clinically-relevant contusive thoracic lesion in experimental animal models. A new functional assessment instrument, the dynamic feet distance (DFD) was used to describe the distance between the two feet throughout the gait cycle in normal and affected rodents. The purpose of this investigation was the evaluation and characterization of the DFD during treadmill locomotion in normal and T9 contusion injured rats, using three-dimensional (3D) instrumented gait analysis. Despite that normal and injured rats showed a similar pattern in the fifth metatarsal head joints distance excursion, we found a significantly wider distance between the feet during the entire gait cycle following spinal injury. This is the first study to quantify the distance between the two feet, throughout the gait cycle, and the biomechanical adjustments made between limbs in laboratory rodents after nervous system injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Cardoso Diogo
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Luís Maltez da Costa
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CECAV, Centre for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Studies, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - José Eduardo Pereira
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CECAV, Centre for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Studies, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Vítor Filipe
- Department of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; INESC TEC, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200 - 465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Alexandre Couto
- Department of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CITAB, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Luís G Magalhães
- Centro Algoritmi, University of Minho, Campus Azurém, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Stefano Geuna
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
| | - Paulo A Armada-da-Silva
- Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (FMH), Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa), Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Dafundo, Cruz Quebrada, Portugal; CIPER-FMH: Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudo de Performance Humana, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (FMH), Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa), Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada - Dafundo, Portugal
| | - Ana Colette Maurício
- Department of Veterinary Clinics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, n° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Animal Science and Study Centre (CECA), Institute of Sciences, Technologies and Agroenvironment of the University of Porto (ICETA), Rua D. Manuel II, Apartado 55142, 4051-401, Porto, Portugal
| | - Artur Severo Varejão
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; CECAV, Centre for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Studies, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
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13
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Comparative outcome measures in peripheral regeneration studies. Exp Neurol 2016; 287:348-357. [PMID: 27094121 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2015] [Revised: 04/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Traumatic peripheral nerve injuries are common and often result in partial or permanent paralysis, numbness of the affected limb, and debilitating neuropathic pain. Experimental animal models of nerve injury have utilized a diversity of outcome measures to examine functional recovery following injury. Four primary categories of outcome measures of regenerative success including retrograde labeling with counts of regenerating neurons, immunohistochemistry and histomorphometry, reinnervation of target muscles, and behavioral analysis of recovery will be reviewed. Validity of different outcome measures are discussed in context of hindlimb, forelimb, and facial nerve injury models. Severity of nerve injury will be highlighted, and comparisons between nerve crush injury and more severe transection and neuroma-in-continuity nerve injury paradigms will be evaluated. The case is made that specific outcome measures may be more sensitive to assessing functional recovery following nerve injury than others. This will be discussed in the context of the lack of association between certain outcome measures of nerve regeneration. Examples of inaccurate conclusions from specific outcome measures will also be considered. Overall, researchers must therefore take care to select appropriate outcome measures for animal nerve injury studies dependant on the specific experimental interventions and scientific questions addressed.
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14
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Lee CS, Bentley RT, Weng HY, Breur GJ. A preliminary evaluation of the reliability of a modified functional scoring system for assessing neurologic function in ambulatory thoracolumbar myelopathy dogs. BMC Vet Res 2015; 11:241. [PMID: 26403185 PMCID: PMC4583166 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-015-0557-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to develop and assess the reliability of a modified scoring system for evaluating the function of the two pelvic limbs separately, in ambulatory thoracolumbar myelopathy dogs. A previously established neurologic score scale for dogs with T3-L3 lesions was modified in order to provide a separate score for each pelvic limb. RESULTS Seventeen ambulatory dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathies were evaluated. Using the new scale, two observers independently performed 22 observational gait analyses (OGAs) in ten dogs without videotape. Another 18 OGAs were performed in seven dogs by watching videotapes of them ambulating. There was poor agreement (concordance correlation coefficient, 0.87) between the two observers for all 40 OGAs. When stratified, the agreement was moderate (concordance correlation coefficient, 0.90) in the OGAs without videotaping and poor (concordance correlation coefficient, 0.80) for the OGAs based on videotapes. For the decision regarding which pelvic limb was more severely affected, a fair agreement (kappa value, 0.30) between the two observers was noted. Without videotape there was only slight agreement (kappa value, 0.05), but with videotape there was moderate agreement (kappa value, 0.56). CONCLUSIONS The modified scoring system in this study provides moderate reliability in assessing the functional neurologic status of each pelvic limb, by OGA without videotape, in canine T3-L3 patients. Further development of this scoring system is required. However, imperfect agreement when visually quantifying neurological deficits is not unexpected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chung-Sheng Lee
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, 625 Harrison Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA. .,Present Address: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, 39762, USA.
| | - R Timothy Bentley
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, 625 Harrison Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
| | - Hsin-Yi Weng
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, 625 Harrison Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
| | - Gert J Breur
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, 625 Harrison Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
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15
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Gutierrez J, Lamanna JJ, Grin N, Hurtig CV, Miller JH, Riley J, Urquia L, Avalos P, Svendsen CN, Federici T, Boulis NM. Preclinical Validation of Multilevel Intraparenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in the Porcine Spinal Cord. Neurosurgery 2015; 77:604-12; discussion 612. [DOI: 10.1227/neu.0000000000000882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Although multiple clinical trials are currently testing different stem cell therapies as treatment alternatives for many neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injury, the optimal injection parameters have not yet been defined.
OBJECTIVE:
To test the spinal cord's tolerance to increasing volumes and numbers of stem cell injections in the pig.
METHODS:
Twenty-seven female Göttingen minipigs received human neural progenitor cell injections using a stereotactic platform device. Cell transplantation in groups 1 to 5 (5–7 pigs in each) was undertaken with the intent of assessing the safety of an injection volume escalation (10, 25, and 50 µL) and an injection number escalation (20, 30, and 40 injections). Motor function and general morbidity were assessed for 21 days. Full necropsy was performed; spinal cords were analyzed for graft survival and microscopic tissue damage.
RESULTS:
No mortality or permanent surgical complications were observed during the 21-day study period. All animals returned to preoperative baseline within 14 days, showing complete motor function recovery. The histological analysis showed that there was no significant decrease in neuronal density between groups, and cell engraftment ranged from 12% to 31% depending on the injection paradigm. However, tissue damage was identified when injecting large volumes into the spinal cord (50 μL).
CONCLUSION:
This series supports the functional safety of various injection volumes and numbers in the spinal cord and gives critical insight into important safety thresholds. These results are relevant to all translational programs delivering cell therapeutics to the spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanmarco Gutierrez
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jason J. Lamanna
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Natalia Grin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Carl V. Hurtig
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Joseph H. Miller
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Jonathan Riley
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Lindsey Urquia
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Pablo Avalos
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Clive N. Svendsen
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Thais Federici
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Nicholas M. Boulis
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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16
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Xu N, Åkesson E, Holmberg L, Sundström E. A sensitive and reliable test instrument to assess swimming in rats with spinal cord injury. Behav Brain Res 2015; 291:172-183. [PMID: 25986406 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Revised: 05/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
For clinical translation of experimental spinal cord injury (SCI) research, evaluation of animal SCI models should include several sensorimotor functions. Validated and reliable assessment tools should be applicable to a wide range of injury severity. The BBB scale is the most widely used test instrument, but similar to most others it is used to assess open field ambulation. We have developed an assessment tool for swimming in rats with SCI, with high discriminative power and sensitivity to functional recovery after mild and severe injuries, without need for advanced test equipment. We studied various parameters of swimming in four groups of rats with thoracic SCI of different severity and a control group, for 8 weeks after surgery. Six parameters were combined in a multiple item scale, the Karolinska Institutet Swim Assessment Tool (KSAT). KSAT scores for all SCI groups showed consistent functional improvement after injury, and significant differences between the five experimental groups. The internal consistency, the inter-rater and the test-retest reliability were very high. The KSAT score was highly correlated to the cross-section area of white matter spared at the injury epicenter. Importantly, even after 8 weeks of recovery the KSAT score reliably discriminated normal animals from those inflicted by the mildest injury, and also displayed the recovery of the most severely injured rats. We conclude that this swim scale is an efficient and reliable tool to assess motor activity during swimming, and an important addition to the methods available for evaluating rat models of SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Xu
- Division of Neurodegeneration, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elisabet Åkesson
- Division of Neurodegeneration, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lena Holmberg
- Division of Neurodegeneration, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Erik Sundström
- Division of Neurodegeneration, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden.
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17
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Kemp SWP, Szynkaruk M, Stanoulis KN, Wood MD, Liu EH, Willand MP, Morlock L, Naidoo J, Williams NS, Ready JM, Mangano TJ, Beggs S, Salter MW, Gordon T, Pieper AA, Borschel GH. Pharmacologic rescue of motor and sensory function by the neuroprotective compound P7C3 following neonatal nerve injury. Neuroscience 2014; 284:202-216. [PMID: 25313000 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Revised: 10/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nerve injuries cause pain, paralysis and numbness that can lead to major disability, and newborns often sustain nerve injuries during delivery that result in lifelong impairment. Without a pharmacologic agent to enhance functional recovery from these injuries, clinicians rely solely on surgery and rehabilitation to treat patients. Unfortunately, patient outcomes remain poor despite application of the most advanced microsurgical and rehabilitative techniques. We hypothesized that the detrimental effects of traumatic neonatal nerve injury could be mitigated with pharmacologic neuroprotection, and tested whether the novel neuroprotective agent P7C3 would block peripheral neuron cell death and enhance functional recovery in a rat neonatal nerve injury model. Administration of P7C3 after sciatic nerve crush injury doubled motor and sensory neuron survival, and also promoted axon regeneration in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with P7C3 also enhanced behavioral and muscle functional recovery, and reversed pathological mobilization of spinal microglia after injury. Our findings suggest that the P7C3 family of neuroprotective compounds may provide a basis for the development of a new neuroprotective drug to enhance recovery following peripheral nerve injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- S W P Kemp
- Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - M Szynkaruk
- Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - K N Stanoulis
- Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - M D Wood
- Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - E H Liu
- Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - M P Willand
- Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - L Morlock
- Department of Biochemistry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - J Naidoo
- Department of Biochemistry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - N S Williams
- Department of Biochemistry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - J M Ready
- Department of Biochemistry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - T J Mangano
- Psychoactive Drug Screening Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - S Beggs
- The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - M W Salter
- The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - T Gordon
- Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - A A Pieper
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology and Veterans Affairs, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
| | - G H Borschel
- Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Toronto, Department of Surgery and Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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18
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JOÃO FILIPA, VELOSO ANTÓNIO, AMADO SANDRA, ARMADA-DA-SILVA PAULO, MAURÍCIO ANAC. CAN GLOBAL OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUE COMPENSATE FOR MARKER SKIN MOVEMENT IN RAT KINEMATICS? J MECH MED BIOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1142/s0219519414500651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The motion of the skeletal estimated from skin attached marker-based motion capture(MOCAP) systems is known to be affected by significant bias caused by anatomical landmarks mislocation but especially by soft tissue artifacts (such as skin deformation and sliding, inertial effects and muscle contraction). As a consequence, the error associated with this bias can propagate to joint kinematics and kinetics data, particularly in small rodents. The purpose of this study was to perform a segmental kinematic analysis of the rat hindlimb during locomotion, using both global optimization as well as segmental optimization methods. Eight rats were evaluated for natural overground walking and motion of the right hindlimb was captured with an optoeletronic system while the animals walked in the track. Three-dimensional (3D) biomechanical analyses were carried out and hip, knee and ankle joint angular displacements and velocities were calculated. Comparison between both methods demonstrated that the magnitude of the kinematic error due to skin movement increases in the segmental optimization when compared with the global optimization method. The kinematic results assessed with the global optimization method matches more closely to the joint angles and ranges of motion calculated from bone-derived kinematics, being the knee and hip joints with more significant differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- FILIPA JOÃO
- Univ Tecn Lisboa, Fac Motricidade Humana-CIPER-LBMF, Estrada da Costa, P-1499-002 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - ANTÓNIO VELOSO
- Univ Tecn Lisboa, Fac Motricidade Humana-CIPER-LBMF, Estrada da Costa, P-1499-002 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - SANDRA AMADO
- Univ Tecn Lisboa, Fac Motricidade Humana-CIPER-LBMF, Estrada da Costa, P-1499-002 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - PAULO ARMADA-DA-SILVA
- Univ Tecn Lisboa, Fac Motricidade Humana-CIPER-LBMF, Estrada da Costa, P-1499-002 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - ANA C. MAURÍCIO
- Department of Veterinary Clinics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Porto University (UP), P-4050-313, Porto, Portugal
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19
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Pertici V, Pin-Barre C, Felix MS, Laurin J, Brisswalter J, Decherchi P. A new method to assess weight-bearing distribution after central nervous system lesions in rats. Behav Brain Res 2014; 259:78-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Revised: 10/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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20
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Silva NA, Sousa N, Reis RL, Salgado AJ. From basics to clinical: a comprehensive review on spinal cord injury. Prog Neurobiol 2013; 114:25-57. [PMID: 24269804 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2013.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 520] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2013] [Revised: 11/12/2013] [Accepted: 11/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder that affects thousands of individuals each year. Over the past decades an enormous progress has been made in our understanding of the molecular and cellular events generated by SCI, providing insights into crucial mechanisms that contribute to tissue damage and regenerative failure of injured neurons. Current treatment options for SCI include the use of high dose methylprednisolone, surgical interventions to stabilize and decompress the spinal cord, and rehabilitative care. Nonetheless, SCI is still a harmful condition for which there is yet no cure. Cellular, molecular, rehabilitative training and combinatorial therapies have shown promising results in animal models. Nevertheless, work remains to be done to ascertain whether any of these therapies can safely improve patient's condition after human SCI. This review provides an extensive overview of SCI research, as well as its clinical component. It starts covering areas from physiology and anatomy of the spinal cord, neuropathology of the SCI, current clinical options, neuronal plasticity after SCI, animal models and techniques to assess recovery, focusing the subsequent discussion on a variety of promising neuroprotective, cell-based and combinatorial therapeutic approaches that have recently moved, or are close, to clinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno A Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Rui L Reis
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal; 3B's Research Group - Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, 4806-909 Caldas das Taipas, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - António J Salgado
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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21
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Fouad K, Tse A. Adaptive changes in the injured spinal cord and their role in promoting functional recovery. Neurol Res 2013; 30:17-27. [DOI: 10.1179/016164107x251781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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22
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Schiaveto-de-Souza A, da-Silva CA, Defino HLA, Del Bel EA. Effect of melatonin on the functional recovery from experimental traumatic compression of the spinal cord. Braz J Med Biol Res 2013; 46:348-58. [PMID: 23579633 PMCID: PMC3854406 DOI: 10.1590/1414-431x20132322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2012] [Accepted: 01/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury is an extremely severe condition with no available effective therapies. We examined the effect of melatonin on traumatic compression of the spinal cord. Sixty male adult Wistar rats were divided into three groups: sham-operated animals and animals with 35 and 50% spinal cord compression with a polycarbonate rod spacer. Each group was divided into two subgroups, each receiving an injection of vehicle or melatonin (2.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) 5 min prior to and 1, 2, 3, and 4 h after injury. Functional recovery was monitored weekly by the open-field test, the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor scale and the inclined plane test. Histological changes of the spinal cord were examined 35 days after injury. Motor scores were progressively lower as spacer size increased according to the motor scale and inclined plane test evaluation at all times of assessment. The results of the two tests were correlated. The open-field test presented similar results with a less pronounced difference between the 35 and 50% compression groups. The injured groups presented functional recovery that was more evident in the first and second weeks. Animals receiving melatonin treatment presented more pronounced functional recovery than vehicle-treated animals as measured by the motor scale or inclined plane. NADPH-d histochemistry revealed integrity of the spinal cord thoracic segment in sham-operated animals and confirmed the severity of the lesion after spinal cord narrowing. The results obtained after experimental compression of the spinal cord support the hypothesis that melatonin may be considered for use in clinical practice because of its protective effect on the secondary wave of neuronal death following the primary wave after spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Schiaveto-de-Souza
- Departamento de Morfofisiologia, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
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23
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Siriphorn A, Dunham KA, Chompoopong S, Floyd CL. Postinjury administration of 17β-estradiol induces protection in the gray and white matter with associated functional recovery after cervical spinal cord injury in male rats. J Comp Neurol 2013; 520:2630-46. [PMID: 22684936 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The majority of spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in the clinic occur at the lower cervical levels, resulting in both white and gray matter disruption. In contrast, most experimental models of SCI in rodents induce damage in the thoracic cord, resulting primarily in white matter disruption. To address this disparity, experimental cervical SCI models have been developed. Thus, we used a recently characterized model of cervical hemicontusion SCI in adult male rats to assess the potential therapeutic effect of post-SCI administration of 17β-estradiol. Rats received a hemicontusion at the level of the fifth cervical vertebra (C5) followed by administration of 17β-estradiol via a slow release pellet (0.5 or 5.0 mg/pellet) beginning at 30 minutes post-SCI. Behavioral evaluation of skilled and unskilled forelimb function and locomotor function were conducted for 7 weeks after SCI. Upon conclusion of the behavioral assessments, spinal cords were collected and histochemistry and stereology were conducted to evaluate the effect of treatment on the lesion characteristics. We found that post-SCI administration of 17β-estradiol decreased neuronal loss in the ventral horn, decreased reactive astrogliosis, decreased the immune response, and increased white mater sparing at the lesion epicenter. Additionally, post-SCI administration of 17β-estradiol improved skilled forelimb function and locomotor function. Taken together, these data suggest that post-SCI administration of 17β-estradiol protected both the gray and white matter in cervical SCI. Moreover, this treatment improved function on skilled motor tasks that involve both gray and white matter components, suggesting that this is likely a highly clinically relevant protective strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akkradate Siriphorn
- Center for Glial Biology in Medicine and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama 35249, USA
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Costa LM, Pereira JE, Filipe VM, Magalhães LG, Couto PA, Gonzalo-Orden JM, Raimondo S, Geuna S, Maurício AC, Nikulina E, Filbin MT, Varejão AS. Rolipram promotes functional recovery after contusive thoracic spinal cord injury in rats. Behav Brain Res 2013; 243:66-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2012] [Revised: 12/24/2012] [Accepted: 12/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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25
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Bojados M, Herbin M, Jamon M. Kinematics of treadmill locomotion in mice raised in hypergravity. Behav Brain Res 2013; 244:48-57. [PMID: 23352767 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2012] [Accepted: 01/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The study compared the motor performance of adult C57Bl/6J mice previously exposed to a 2G gravity environment during different periods of their development. 12 mice were housed in a large diameter centrifuge from the conception to Postnatal day 10 (P10). Another group of 10 mice was centrifuged form P10 to P30, and a third group of 9 mice was centrifuged from conception to P30. Their gait parameters, and kinematics of joint excursions were compared with 11 control mice, at the age of 2 months using a video-radiographic apparatus connected to a motorized treadmill. The mice that returned to Earth gravity level at the age of P10 showed a motor pattern similar to control mice. At variance the two groups that were centrifuged from P10 to P30 showed a different motor pattern with smaller and faster strides to walk at the same velocity as controls. On the other hand all the centrifuged mice showed significant postural changes, particularly with a more extended ankle joint, but the mice centrifuged during the whole experimental period differed even more. Our results showed that the exposure to hypergravity before P10 sufficed to modify the posture, suggesting that postural control starts before the onset of locomotion, whereas the gravity constraint perceived between P10 and P30 conditioned the tuning of quadruped locomotion with long term consequences. These results support the existence of a critical period in the acquisition of locomotion in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mickael Bojados
- Aix-Marseille Univ, INSERM UMR 1106, 13385 Marseille, France
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26
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Changes in forelimb-hindlimb coordination after partial spinal lesions of different extent in the rat. Behav Brain Res 2012; 239:121-38. [PMID: 23142611 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.10.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Accepted: 10/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Forelimb-hindlimb coordination in adult rats moving freely along 2m long runway was investigated using the method of footprint recording. Rats were divided into 3 groups with different extent of spinal lesions (T(9)). Before surgery rats moved with a mean locomotor speed of 73±20 to 96±18cms(-1), stride lengths of 17.5±2.0 to 21.2±2.0cm, and trot like coordination. Early after surgery the locomotor speed and the stride lengths were decreased. The forelimb steps were shorter than hindlimb steps, which led to the occurrence of unpaired forelimb steps. Unpaired steps occurred when the hind paw print lay more than half the hindlimb stride length in front of the ipsilateral paw. The number of unpaired steps was negatively correlated with the difference between the fore- and hindlimb step lengths. The recovery of locomotor speed, stride length, and step sequence patterns took up to 3.5 months depending on the extent of lesion. In the last testings the coordination was characterized by increased distances between ipsilateral footprints leading to a change from an almost synchronized trot to a lesion-dependent walk. This change was accompanied by a switch from the use of both patterns A and C to the most frequent use of the Aa pattern that is better adapted to maintain the body balance. All locomotor changes depended on the extent of the injury of lateral and ventral funiculi. These results demonstrate that footprint analysis can be used for the evaluation of forelimb-hindlimb coordination after spinal lesion in rats.
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27
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Semler J, Wellmann K, Wirth F, Stein G, Angelova S, Ashrafi M, Schempf G, Ankerne J, Ozsoy O, Ozsoy U, Schönau E, Angelov DN, Irintchev A. Objective measures of motor dysfunction after compression spinal cord injury in adult rats: correlations with locomotor rating scores. J Neurotrauma 2012; 28:1247-58. [PMID: 21428717 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2010.1737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Precise assessment of motor deficits after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in rodents is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of functional recovery and testing therapeutic approaches. Here we analyzed the applicability to a rat SCI model of an objective approach, the single-frame motion analysis, created and used for functional analysis in mice. Adult female Wistar rats were subjected to graded compression of the spinal cord. Recovery of locomotion was analyzed using video recordings of beam walking and inclined ladder climbing. Three out of four parameters used in mice appeared suitable: the foot-stepping angle (FSA) and the rump-height index (RHI), measured during beam walking, and for estimating paw placement and body weight support, respectively, and the number of correct ladder steps (CLS), assessing skilled limb movements. These parameters, similar to the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scores, correlated with lesion volume and showed significant differences between moderately and severely injured rats at 1-9 weeks after SCI. The beam parameters, but not CLS, correlated well with the BBB scores within ranges of poor and good locomotor abilities. FSA co-varied with RHI only in the severely impaired rats, while RHI and CLS were barely correlated. Our findings suggest that the numerical parameters estimate, as intended by design, predominantly different aspects of locomotion. The use of these objective measures combined with BBB rating provides a time- and cost-efficient opportunity for versatile and reliable functional evaluations in both severely and moderately impaired rats, combining clinical assessment with precise numerical measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joerg Semler
- Children's Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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28
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Zhang SX, Huang F, Gates M, Holmberg EG. Somatosensory evoked potentials can be recorded on the midline of the skull with subdermal electrodes in non-sedated rats elicited by magnetic stimulation of the tibial nerve. J Neurosci Methods 2012; 208:114-8. [PMID: 22579876 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2012] [Revised: 04/26/2012] [Accepted: 05/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are a sensitive quantitative measure of conduction in somatosensory pathways of the central nervous system and are increasingly used in both clinical trials and animal experiments. SSEPs can be recorded in non-sedated rodents by magnetic stimulation (MS) of peripheral nerves. To overcome some disadvantages caused by using anesthesia and implanted recording electrodes, we used subdermal needle electrodes located on the midline of the skull to successfully record SSEPs in non-sedated rats, elicited by stimulating the tibial nerve with a magnetic stimulator. The wave form contains a typical P1 peak and N1 peak. Although there is a variation of P1 latency, N1 latency, and P1-N1 amplitude between right side and left side, it was not statistically significant. In addition, there is a significantly positive relationship between P1-N1 amplitude and MS strength, suggesting that the increase in magnetic stimulating strength resulted in the increase in P1-N1 amplitude. Results in the present study demonstrate that our modified method is a reliable and feasible paradigm for recording SSEPs in non-sedated rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Xin Zhang
- Spinal Cord Society Research Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA.
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29
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Tail nerve electrical stimulation combined with scar ablation and neural transplantation promotes locomotor recovery in rats with chronically contused spinal cord. Brain Res 2012; 1456:22-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.03.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2011] [Revised: 03/20/2012] [Accepted: 03/21/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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30
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The biomechanics of locomotor compensation after peripheral nerve lesion in the rat. Behav Brain Res 2012; 229:391-400. [PMID: 22309981 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.01.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2011] [Revised: 01/19/2012] [Accepted: 01/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Functional recovery in animal models of nervous system disorders commonly involves behavioural compensation, in which animals alter the use of their limbs after injury, making it difficult to distinguish 'true' recovery from substitution of novel movements. The purpose of this study is to investigate how abnormal movements are produced by using biomechanical assessment of limb joint motion, an approach commonly used to diagnose human pathological gait. Rats were trained to cross a runway whilst kinetic (ground reaction forces) and kinematic (limb segment positions) data were synchronously recorded. Inverse dynamic analysis was used to calculate limb joint moments, or torques, and joint mechanical power throughout the stride for major joints of the forelimbs and hindlimbs, both before and after denervation of a major ankle extensor muscle. Before surgery, rats moved with joint moment and power profiles comparable to other quadrupeds, with differences attributable to species variation in limb posture. After surgery, rats trotted asymmetrically, with a near plantigrade stance of the left hindlimb. Surprisingly, ankle joint moments and power were largely preserved, with dramatic reductions in range of motion and joint moments at the proximal joints of the affected limb. Stiffening of the proximal limb compensated for increased compliance at the ankle but decreased the total mechanical work done by the injured limb. In turn, more work was done by the opposite, i.e. uninjured, hindlimb. This is the first study to quantify the biomechanical adjustments made within and between limbs in laboratory rodents after nervous system injury.
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Ferguson AR, Stück ED, Nielson JL. Syndromics: a bioinformatics approach for neurotrauma research. Transl Stroke Res 2011; 2:438-54. [PMID: 22207883 PMCID: PMC3236294 DOI: 10.1007/s12975-011-0121-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2011] [Revised: 10/14/2011] [Accepted: 10/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Substantial scientific progress has been made in the past 50 years in delineating many of the biological mechanisms involved in the primary and secondary injuries following trauma to the spinal cord and brain. These advances have highlighted numerous potential therapeutic approaches that may help restore function after injury. Despite these advances, bench-to-bedside translation has remained elusive. Translational testing of novel therapies requires standardized measures of function for comparison across different laboratories, paradigms, and species. Although numerous functional assessments have been developed in animal models, it remains unclear how to best integrate this information to describe the complete translational "syndrome" produced by neurotrauma. The present paper describes a multivariate statistical framework for integrating diverse neurotrauma data and reviews the few papers to date that have taken an information-intensive approach for basic neurotrauma research. We argue that these papers can be described as the seminal works of a new field that we call "syndromics", which aim to apply informatics tools to disease models to characterize the full set of mechanistic inter-relationships from multi-scale data. In the future, centralized databases of raw neurotrauma data will enable better syndromic approaches and aid future translational research, leading to more efficient testing regimens and more clinically relevant findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R. Ferguson
- Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC), Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, 1001 Potrero Avenue, Building 1, Room 101, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Ellen D. Stück
- Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC), Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, 1001 Potrero Avenue, Building 1, Room 101, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Jessica L. Nielson
- Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC), Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, 1001 Potrero Avenue, Building 1, Room 101, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
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32
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Fan J, Xiao Z, Zhang H, Chen B, Tang G, Hou X, Ding W, Wang B, Zhang P, Dai J, Xu R. Linear ordered collagen scaffolds loaded with collagen-binding neurotrophin-3 promote axonal regeneration and partial functional recovery after complete spinal cord transection. J Neurotrauma 2011; 27:1671-83. [PMID: 20597688 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2010.1281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurotrophin-3 (NT3) is an important neurotrophic factor for spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. However, constant exchange of cerebrospinal fluid often decreases the effective dosage of NT3 at the targeted injury site. In the present study, a recombinant collagen-binding NT3 (CBD-NT3), consisting of a collagen-binding domain (CBD) and native NT3, was constructed. Linear rat-tail collagen (LRTC) was used as a physical carrier for CBD-NT3 to construct a LRTC/C3 system. The collagen-binding ability of CBD-NT3 was verified, and the bioactivity of CBD-NT3 was assayed with neurite outgrowth of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) explants and DRG cells in vitro. After complete spinal cord transection in rats, LRTC/CBD-NT3 or the LRTC/NT3 system was transplanted into the injury site. Hindlimb locomotion recovery was closely observed using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale and the grid walk test. Significant improvement was observed in the LRTC/CBD-NT3 group. The results of regenerating nerve fiber and anterograde tracing of biotinylated dextran amine (BDA)-labeled corticospinal tract (CST) fibers demonstrated axonal regeneration of LRTC/CBD-NT3 in the injured spinal cord. Serotonin fiber regrowth also illustrated the effectiveness of LRTC/CBD-NT3. Thus, collagen-binding NT3 with LRTC may provide an effective method for treating SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Fan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Military General Hospital, Beijing, China
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33
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Irintchev A. Potentials and limitations of peripheral nerve injury models in rodents with particular reference to the femoral nerve. Ann Anat 2011; 193:276-85. [PMID: 21481575 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2011.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2011] [Revised: 02/16/2011] [Accepted: 02/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Restoration of function after peripheral nerve repair in humans is unsatisfactory. Various causes of poor recovery have been proposed. Still, we do not understand which of these potential factors are indeed detrimental and do not know how to manipulate them experimentally in a clinically feasible way. Future success largely depends on methodological improvement in rodent models. An example of recent progress is the introduction of new functional and anatomical outcome measures in the facial nerve injury paradigm which led to novel insights into facial nerve regeneration and a new therapeutic concept. Less success can be ascribed to the use of the classical spinal nerve model, the sciatic nerve paradigm, not least because of its anatomical and functional complexity making assessment of recovery challenging. A simpler alternative to the sciatic nerve is the femoral nerve model. It offers, alongside with its known usefulness for studies on precision of motor reinnervation, the possibility of reliable functional assessments and a straightforward search of anatomical substrates of dysfunction. The structure-function approach in the femoral nerve paradigm has been useful for testing of novel therapeutic means and analyses of regeneration in mutant mice. The potential of the method has still not been really exploited and its more extensive use may contribute to better understanding of nerve regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Irintchev
- Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Lessingstrasse 2, Jena, Germany.
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34
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Dunham KA, Siriphorn A, Chompoopong S, Floyd CL. Characterization of a graded cervical hemicontusion spinal cord injury model in adult male rats. J Neurotrauma 2011; 27:2091-106. [PMID: 21087156 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2010.1424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most experimental models of spinal cord injury (SCI) in rodents induce damage in the thoracic cord and subsequently examine hindlimb function as an indicator of recovery. In these models, functional recovery is most attributable to white-matter preservation and is less influenced by grey-matter sparing. In contrast, most clinical cases of SCI occur at the lower cervical levels, a region in which both grey-matter and white-matter sparing contribute to functional motor recovery. Thus experimental cervical SCI models are beginning to be developed and used to assess protective and pharmacological interventions following SCI. The objective of this study was to characterize a model of graded cervical hemicontusion SCI with regard to several histological and behavioral outcome measures, including novel forelimb behavioral tasks. Using a commercially available rodent spinal cord impactor, adult male rats received hemicontusion SCI at vertebral level C5 at 100, 200, or 300 kdyn force, to produce mild, moderate, or severe injury severities. Tests of skilled and unskilled forelimb and locomotor function were employed to assess functional recovery, and spinal cord tissue was collected to assess lesion severity. Deficits in skilled and unskilled forelimb function and locomotion relating to injury severity were observed, as well as decreases in neuronal numbers, white-matter area, and white-matter gliosis. Significant correlations were observed between behavioral and histological data. Taken together, these data suggest that the forelimb functional and locomotor assessments employed here are sensitive enough to measure functional changes, and that this hemicontusion model can be used to evaluate potential protective and regenerative therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A Dunham
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Center for Glial Biology in Medicine, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35249, USA
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35
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Webb AA, Kerr B, Neville T, Ngan S, Assem H. Kinematics and ground reaction force determination: a demonstration quantifying locomotor abilities of young adult, middle-aged, and geriatric rats. J Vis Exp 2011:2138. [PMID: 21403621 PMCID: PMC3059563 DOI: 10.3791/2138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavior, in its broadest definition, can be defined as the motor manifestation of physiologic processes. As such, all behaviors manifest through the motor system. In the fields of neuroscience and orthopedics, locomotion is a commonly evaluated behavior for a variety of disease models. For example, locomotor recovery after traumatic injury to the nervous system is one of the most commonly evaluated behaviors 1-3. Though locomotion can be evaluated using a variety of endpoint measurements (e.g. time taken to complete a locomotor task, etc), semiquantitative kinematic measures (e.g. ordinal rating scales (e.g. Basso Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor (BBB) rating scale, etc)) and surrogate measures of behaviour (e.g. muscle force, nerve conduction velocity, etc), only kinetics (force measurements) and kinematics (measurements of body segments in space) provide a detailed description of the strategy by which an animal is able to locomote 1. Though not new, kinematic and kinetic measurements of locomoting rodents is now more readily accessible due to the availability of commercially available equipment designed for this purpose. Importantly, however, experimenters need to be very familiar with theory of biomechanical analyses and understand the benefits and limitations of these forms of analyses prior to embarking on what will become a relatively labor-intensive study. The present paper aims to describe a method for collecting kinematic and ground reaction force data using commercially available equipment. Details of equipment and apparatus set-up, pre-training of animals, inclusion and exclusion criteria of acceptable runs, and methods for collecting the data are described. We illustrate the utility of this behavioral analysis technique by describing the kinematics and kinetics of strain-matched young adult, middle-aged, and geriatric rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey A Webb
- CullenWebb Animal Neurology & Ophthalmology Center, Riverview, NB
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36
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Gordon-Evans WJ, Evans RB, Conzemius MG. Accuracy of spatiotemporal variables in gait analysis of neurologic dogs. J Neurotrauma 2010; 26:1055-60. [PMID: 19257805 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2008.0805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Outcome measures for functional assessment in experimental or naturally occurring spinal cord injury (SCI) in dogs have been largely subjective. This study is the first step in developing an easy, accurate, and objective outcome measure for neurologic dogs. The hypothesis was that the coefficient of variation (CV) of spatiotemporal parameters of gait in dogs with hindlimb paresis would be greater than that of normal dogs and dogs with orthopedic disease. This study evaluates the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of spatiotemporal parameters in dogs with naturally occurring SCI. All dogs were allowed to walk at their own pace over a pressure walkway. Stride time, stance time, swing time, and stride length, and velocity were recorded using the pressure walkway, and age, breed, weight, and group were recorded for each dog. The gait parameters were summarized for each dog with coefficients of variation (CsV), determined three ways. The data were analyzed with competing models to determine the best one for differentiating neurologic dogs from non-neurologic dogs. Velocity, acceleration, height, and weight did not significantly affect any of the CsV. The model with the highest accuracy (89%) was a multivariate model using the CsV (calculated by combining feet of each dog) of stride length, stride time, and swing time (p = 0.0001). The sensitivity (0.8) and specificity (0.9) were calculated using Youden's Index. The combination of CsV (combined feet) of stride length, stride time, and swing time are relatively simple and accurate with great potential as an outcome measure in dogs with SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanda J Gordon-Evans
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, USA.
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Martinez M, Brezun JM, Bonnier L, Xerri C. A new rating scale for open-field evaluation of behavioral recovery after cervical spinal cord injury in rats. J Neurotrauma 2010; 26:1043-53. [PMID: 19594382 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2008.0717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale has proven a reliable tool to evaluate impairments of hindlimb locomotor skills after thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI). With the increasing use of cervical SCI rat models, there is a critical need to develop scoring scales designed to more precisely examine alteration and recovery of forelimb functions. The main goal of the present study was to elaborate and evaluate a new rating scale for open-field testing of the fore- and hindlimb locomotor functions after cervical SCI. We also assessed the effectiveness of this rating scale for discriminating the functional consequences of dorsolateral (Hdl group), lateral (Hl group), or complete C4 unilateral hemisections (Hc group). Our findings show that the new rating scale can be considered as a sensitive and reliable descriptor of the postoperative time course of deficits affecting differentially the fore- and hindlimb sensorimotor functions following injuries of various severities. This new method provides reproducible data and can be used reliably by non-expert examiners. The proposed rating scale appears to be a useful tool for the assessment of various treatments designed to promote functional recovery after SCI. See online Supplementary Material (scoring spreadsheet and videotape recordings) at www.liebertonline.com.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Martinez
- Neurosciences Intégratives et Adaptatives, UMR 6149, Université de Provence/CNRS, Marseille, France
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38
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Ahmed Z, Wagdy M, Benjamin M, Mohamed S, Mohamed H, Ahmed S, Kanjilal B, Wieraszko A. Therapeutic effects of acrobatic exercise and magnetic field exposure on functional recovery after spinal cord injury in mice. Bioelectromagnetics 2010; 32:49-57. [DOI: 10.1002/bem.20610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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39
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Zörner B, Filli L, Starkey ML, Gonzenbach R, Kasper H, Röthlisberger M, Bolliger M, Schwab ME. Profiling locomotor recovery: comprehensive quantification of impairments after CNS damage in rodents. Nat Methods 2010; 7:701-8. [DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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40
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A force plate measurement system to assess hindlimb weight support of spinal cord injured rats. J Neurosci Methods 2010; 189:130-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2010.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2009] [Revised: 03/10/2010] [Accepted: 03/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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41
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Kemp SWP, Alant J, Walsh SK, Webb AA, Midha R. Behavioural and anatomical analysis of selective tibial nerve branch transfer to the deep peroneal nerve in the rat. Eur J Neurosci 2010; 31:1074-90. [PMID: 20377620 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07130.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen W P Kemp
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada.
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42
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Gordon-Evans WJ, Evans RB, Knap KE, Hildreth JM, Pinel CB, Imhoff DJ, Conzemius MG. Characterization of spatiotemporal gait characteristics in clinically normal dogs and dogs with spinal cord disease. Am J Vet Res 2010; 70:1444-9. [PMID: 19951114 DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.70.12.1444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE-To determine the spatiotemporal gait characteristics and associated covariates of clinically normal dogs and dogs with spinal cord disease. ANIMALS-42 clinically normal dogs and 24 dogs with myelopathy at spinal cord segment T3-L3. PROCEDURES-Gait was analyzed for velocity, stride length, stride time, stance time, and swing time and compared between groups with consideration of covariates, including height, weight, velocity, sex, and age. RESULTS-By use of multivariate regression, dogs with neurologic signs, compared with clinically normal dogs, had decreased stride time, stance time, and stride length in the forelimbs and increased swing time in the hind limbs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE-Use of spatiotemporal gait characteristics appears to have potential for use as an outcome measure for dogs with neurologic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanda J Gordon-Evans
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61802, USA.
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43
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Bauman JM, Chang YH. High-speed X-ray video demonstrates significant skin movement errors with standard optical kinematics during rat locomotion. J Neurosci Methods 2010; 186:18-24. [PMID: 19900476 PMCID: PMC2814909 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2009.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2009] [Revised: 10/13/2009] [Accepted: 10/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The sophistication of current rodent injury and disease models outpaces that of the most commonly used behavioral assays. The first objective of this study was to measure rat locomotion using high-speed X-ray video to establish an accurate baseline for rat hindlimb kinematics. The second objective was to quantify the kinematics errors due to skin movement artefacts by simultaneously recording and comparing hindlimb kinematics derived from skin markers and from direct visualization of skeletal landmarks. Joint angle calculations from skin-derived kinematics yielded errors as high as 39 degrees in the knee and 31 degrees in the hip around paw contact with respect to the X-ray data. Triangulation of knee position from the ankle and hip skin markers provided closer, albeit still inaccurate, approximations of bone-derived, X-ray kinematics. We found that soft tissue movement errors are the result of multiple factors, the most impressive of which is overall limb posture. Treadmill speed had surprisingly little effect on kinematics errors. These findings illustrate the significance and context of skin movement error in rodent kinematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay M Bauman
- School of Applied Physiology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0356, USA
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Methylprednisolone fails to improve functional and histological outcome following spinal cord injury in rats. Exp Neurol 2009; 220:71-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2009.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2009] [Revised: 07/27/2009] [Accepted: 07/28/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Hill RL, Zhang YP, Burke DA, Devries WH, Zhang Y, Magnuson DSK, Whittemore SR, Shields CB. Anatomical and functional outcomes following a precise, graded, dorsal laceration spinal cord injury in C57BL/6 mice. J Neurotrauma 2009; 26:1-15. [PMID: 19196178 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2008.0543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
To study the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI), we used the LISA-Vibraknife to generate a precise and reproducible dorsal laceration SCI in the mouse. The surgical procedure involved a T9 laminectomy, dural resection, and a spinal cord laceration to a precisely controlled depth. Four dorsal hemisection injuries with lesion depths of 0.5, 0.8, 1.1, and 1.4 mm, as well as normal, sham (laminectomy and dural removal only), and transection controls were examined. Assessments including the Basso Mouse Scale (BMS), footprint analysis, beam walk, toe spread reflex, Hargreaves' test, and transcranial magnetic motor-evoked potential (tcMMEP) analysis were performed to assess motor, sensorimotor, and sensory function. These outcome measures demonstrated significant increases in functional deficits as the depth of the lesion increased, and significant behavioral recovery was observed in the groups over time. Quantitative histological examination showed significant differences between the injury groups and insignificant lesion depth variance within each of the groups. Statistically significant differences were additionally found in the amount of ventral spared tissue at the lesion site between the injury groups. This novel, graded, reproducible laceration SCI model can be used in future studies to look more closely at underlying mechanisms that lead to functional deficits following SCI, as well as to determine the efficacy of therapeutic intervention strategies in the injury and recovery processes following SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L Hill
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville , Louisville, Kentucky, USA
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Hillyer JE, Joynes RL. A new measure of hindlimb stepping ability in neonatally spinalized rats. Behav Brain Res 2009; 202:291-302. [PMID: 19376160 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2009] [Revised: 03/28/2009] [Accepted: 04/09/2009] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
One of the most widely used animal models for assessing recovery of locomotor functioning is the spinal rat. Although true differences in locomotor abilities of these animals are exhibited during treadmill testing, current measurement techniques often fail to detect them. The HiJK (Hillyer-Joynes Kinematics) scale was developed in an effort to distinguish more effectively between groups of spinal rats. Scale items were compiled after extensive review of the literature concerning development and analysis of rat locomotion and a thorough examination of the current tools. Treadmill tests for 137 Sprague-Dawley rats were taped and scored. The structure of the scale was tested with principle components and factor analysis, in which six of the eight items accounted for 59% of the variance, while all eight accounted for 78%. Validity tests demonstrate that HiJK is measuring locomotor performance accurately and powerfully. First, the HiJK scale correlates highly (>.8) with the widely used BBB scale and second, as shown with ANOVA, can distinguish between different groups of spinal rats. Reliability of the scale was also analyzed. Cronbach's alpha was shown to be .91, indicating considerable internal consistency. Additionally, inter-rater and intra-rater reliabilities were substantial, with correlations for most items reaching above .80. We believe that the HiJK scale will help researchers verify existing experimental differences, advance the field of spinal cord research, and, hopefully, lead to discovery of methods to enhance recovery of function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E Hillyer
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, 818 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada.
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47
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Górska T, Chojnicka-Gittins B, Majczyński H, Zmysłowski W. Recovery of overground locomotion following partial spinal lesions of different extent in the rat. Behav Brain Res 2009; 196:286-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2008] [Revised: 09/12/2008] [Accepted: 09/19/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Abstract
Multiple neuroprotective agents have shown benefit for the treatment of acute spinal cord injury (SCI) in animal studies. However, clinical trials have, thus far, been uniformly disappointing. This review explores reasons for discrepancies between promising animal studies and disappointing clinical trials and potential barriers to extrapolation of research results from animals to humans. The three major barriers disclosed are: differences in injury type between laboratory-induced SCI and clinical SCI, difficulties in interpreting functional outcome in animals, and inter-species and interstrain differences in pathophysiology of SCI. These barriers can impair the effectiveness of animal models of SCI to predict human outcomes. While some of these barriers can be overcome, others are inherent to the animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysha Z Akhtar
- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, D.C. 20016, USA.
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A comparison of two-dimensional and three-dimensional techniques for the determination of hindlimb kinematics during treadmill locomotion in rats following spinal cord injury. J Neurosci Methods 2008; 173:193-200. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2008.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2008] [Revised: 05/23/2008] [Accepted: 06/01/2008] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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50
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Yamaji T, Yamazaki S, Li J, Price RD, Matsuoka N, Mutoh S. FK1706, a novel non-immunosuppressant neurophilin ligand, ameliorates motor dysfunction following spinal cord injury through its neuroregenerative action. Eur J Pharmacol 2008; 591:147-52. [PMID: 18602914 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.06.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2008] [Revised: 06/06/2008] [Accepted: 06/12/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Injured spinal cord axons fail to regenerate in part due to a lack of trophic support. While various methods for replacing neurotrophins have been pursued, clinical uses of these methods face significant barriers. FK1706, a non-immunosuppressant neurophilin ligand, potentiates nerve growth factor signaling, suggesting therapeutic potential for functional deficits following spinal cord injury. Here, we demonstrate that FK1706 significantly improves behavioral outcomes in animal models of spinal cord hemisection and contusion injuries in rats. Furthermore, we show that FK1706 is effective even if administration is delayed until 1 week after injury, suggesting that FK1706 has a reasonable therapeutic time-window. Morphological analysis of injured axons in the dorsal corticospinal tract showed an increase in the radius and perimeter of stained axons, which were reduced by FK1706 treatment, suggesting that axonal swelling and retraction balls observed in injured spinal cord were improved by the neurotrophic effect of FK1706. Taken together, FK1706 improves both behavioral motor function and the underlying morphological changes, suggesting that FK1706 may have therapeutic potential in meeting the significant unmet needs in spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Yamaji
- Pharmacology Research Labs, Astellas Pharma Inc., Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
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