🧬 Spinal Cord Injury Animal Models
SCI animal_model rodent contusion preclinical
Model type: Contusion Species: Rat (Sprague-Dawley) Injury Level: Thoracic (T9) Tool used: NYU Impactor
Objective:
To model acute mechanical trauma leading to secondary neuroinflammatory damage in the spinal cord.
<tabs> <tab-title>📌 Summary</tab-title>
The contusion injury is one of the most widely used SCI models. It replicates the mechanical impact seen in human trauma and results in consistent pathology and behavioral deficits.
</tabs>
<tabs> <tab-title>🧪 Procedure</tab-title>
- Anesthetize the animal.
- Perform a laminectomy at T9.
- Drop a 10g rod from a height of 25mm using the NYU impactor.
- Post-op care includes hydration, antibiotics, and bladder expression.
</tabs>
<tabs> <tab-title>🔬 Assessments</tab-title>
| Method | Timing | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BBB score | Day 1, 3, 7, weekly | Locomotor recovery |
| Histology | Day 28 | Lesion volume, spared tissue |
| MRI | Optional | Non-invasive follow-up |
</tabs>
<tabs> <tab-title>📈 Advantages</tab-title>
- High reproducibility
- Mimics human SCI mechanism
- Good for functional recovery studies
</tabs>
<tabs> <tab-title>⚠️ Limitations</tab-title>
- Limited chronic degeneration features
- Requires training and calibration
- Differences between rodent and human spinal cords
</tabs>
<tabs> <tab-title>📚 References</tab-title>
- Smith et al. (2009). “Standardization of a rodent contusion SCI model”. *J Neurotrauma*.
- Zhang et al. (2022). “Post-injury inflammation in rat contusion model”. *Front Neurosci*.
</tabs>
Other models: → 🔗 Clip Compression (Rat) → 🔗 Hemisection (Mouse) → 🔗 Balloon Compression (Pig)
Animal models to understand the back pain mechanism, treatment modalities, and spinal cord injury are widely researched topics worldwide. Despite the presence of several animal models on disc degeneration and Spinal Cord Injury, there is a lack of a comprehensive review.
A methodological narrative literature review was carried out for the study. A total of 1273 publications were found, out of which 763 were related to spine surgery in animals. The literature with full-text availability was selected for the review. Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA) guidelines was used to assess the studies. Only English language publications were included which were listed on PubMed. A total of 113 studies were shortlisted (1976-2019) after internal validation scoring.
The animal models for spine surgery ranged from rodents to primates. These are used to study the mechanisms of back pain as well as spinal cord injuries. The models could either be created surgically or through various means like use of electric cautery, chemicals or trauma. Genetic spine models have also been documented in which the injuries are created by genetic alterations and knock outs. Though the dorsal approach is the most common, the literature also mentions the anterior and lateral approach for spine surgery animal experiments.
There are no single perfect animal models to represent and study human models. The selection is based on the application and the methodology. Careful selection is needed to give optimum and appropriate results 1).