<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_abm-2019-0019_s_004_w2aab3b7b6b1b6b1aab1c17b1Aa"><h3>Background</h3><p>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.</p></sec><sec id="j_abm-2019-0019_s_005_w2aab3b7b6b1b6b1aab1c17b2Aa"><h3>Objective</h3><p>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.</p></sec><sec id="j_abm-2019-0019_s_006_w2aab3b7b6b1b6b1aab1c17b3Aa"><h3>Methods</h3><p>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.</p></sec><sec id="j_abm-2019-0019_s_007_w2aab3b7b6b1b6b1aab1c17b4Aa"><h3>Results</h3><p>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.</p></sec><sec id="j_abm-2019-0019_s_008_w2aab3b7b6b1b6b1aab1c17b5Aa"><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>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.</p></sec></abstract>

BackgroundModels 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.ObjectiveTo determine whether our adapted weight-drop device with a small tip can effectively induce mild hemicontusion at the level of the fifth cervical vertebra.MethodsWe 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.ResultsRats 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.ConclusionsMild 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.

Behavioral and histopathological studies of cervical spinal cord contusion injury in rats caused by an adapted weight-drop device

Asian Biomedicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

BackgroundModels of spinal cord injury (SCI) caused by weight-drop devices to cause contusion have been used extensively, and transient behavioral deficits...

Behavioral and histopathological studies of cervical spinal cord contusion injury in rats caused by an adapted weight-drop device

Article Category: Technical report

Published Online: Sep 25, 2019

Page range: 189 - 198

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/abm-2019-0019

Keywords
animal experimentation, contusions, motor activity, motor skills, spinal cord injuries

© 2018 Kanyaratana Bamrungsuk et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Behavioral and histopathological studies of cervical spinal cord contusion injury in rats caused by an adapted weight-drop device

Article Category: Technical report

Published Online: Sep 25, 2019

Page range: 189 - 198

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/abm-2019-0019

Keywordsanimal experimentation, contusions, motor activity, motor skills, spinal cord injuries

© 2018 Kanyaratana Bamrungsuk et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
animal experimentation, contusions, motor activity, motor skills, spinal cord injuries