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Miura M, Furuya T, Hashimoto M, Shiratani Y, Inoue T, Yunde A, Okimatsu S, Hosokawa H, Maki S, Ohtori S. Differences in the expression of myelopathy in a rat model of chronic spinal cord compression. J Spinal Cord Med 2024; 47:450-458. [PMID: 35993796 PMCID: PMC11044740 DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2022.2111048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
Abstract
CONTEXT/OBJECTIVE The degree of spinal cord compression does not always parallel neurological symptoms. We considered that some compensatory neuroprotective mechanism underlies the expression of this neurological phenotype. Oxygen-regulated-protein 150 (ORP150) is neuroprotective and expressed in neurons in response to neuronal ischemia. We sought to elucidate whether ORP150 expression is associated with the severity and variation of neurological recovery in our rat model of chronic spinal cord compression. METHODS We made a rat model of chronic spinal cord compression inserting an expandable water-absorbing polyurethane sheet. A neurological behavioral assessment of the severity of paralysis was performed for 10 weeks postoperatively. The rat model was defined as two groups: a myelopathy group with decreased locomotor function and an asymptomatic group. At 10 weeks postoperatively, the spinal cord of the cervical segment was resected for histology and qPCR. RESULTS Slowly progressive paralysis appeared at 5-10 weeks postoperatively in 53% of the rats with spinal cord compression. The asymptomatic group had no histological changes indicative of myelopathy. Histology and qPCR showed increased expression of ORP150 in the asymptomatic group, but the ratio of ORP150-positive neuron in the two groups was not significantly different. CONCLUSION The expression of ORP150 in neurons associated with spinal cord compression suggested that the spinal cord was under ischemic stress due to compression, but relation to the development of myelopathy was unclear. The results suggested that some other compensatory mechanisms may exist in response to spinal cord compression in asymptomatic rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masataka Miura
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takeo Furuya
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | | | - Yuki Shiratani
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takaki Inoue
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Atsushi Yunde
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Sho Okimatsu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Hosokawa
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Satoshi Maki
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Seiji Ohtori
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
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Long HQ, Ren ZX, Xu JH, Cheng X, Xu GX. Pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic compressive spinal cord injury due to vascular events. Neural Regen Res 2023; 18:790-796. [DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.353485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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Hu Y, Li R, Li HL, Cui HY, Huang YC. Identification of injury type using somatosensory and motor evoked potentials in a rat spinal cord injury model. Neural Regen Res 2023; 18:422-427. [PMID: 35900440 PMCID: PMC9396501 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.346458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The spinal cord is at risk of injury during spinal surgery. If intraoperative spinal cord injury is identified early, irreversible impairment or loss of neurological function can be prevented. Different types of spinal cord injury result in damage to different spinal cord regions, which may cause different somatosensory and motor evoked potential signal responses. In this study, we examined electrophysiological and histopathological changes between contusion, distraction, and dislocation spinal cord injuries in a rat model. We found that contusion led to the most severe dorsal white matter injury and caused considerable attenuation of both somatosensory and motor evoked potentials. Dislocation resulted in loss of myelinated axons in the lateral region of the injured spinal cord along the rostrocaudal axis. The amplitude of attenuation in motor evoked potential responses caused by dislocation was greater than that caused by contusion. After distraction injury, extracellular spaces were slightly but not significantly enlarged; somatosensory evoked potential responses slightly decreased and motor evoked potential responses were lost. Correlation analysis showed that histological and electrophysiological findings were significantly correlated and related to injury type. Intraoperative monitoring of both somatosensory and motor evoked potentials has the potential to identify iatrogenic spinal cord injury type during surgery.
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Yang C, He T, Wang Q, Wang G, Ma J, Chen Z, Li Q, Wang L, Quan Z. Elevated intraspinal pressure drives edema progression after acute compression spinal cord injury in rabbits. Exp Neurol 2022; 357:114206. [PMID: 35988698 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Elevated intraspinal pressure (ISP) following traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) can be an important factor for secondary SCI that may result in greater tissue damage and functional deficits. Our present study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes in ISP after different degrees of acute compression SCI in rabbits with closed canals and explore its influence on spinal cord pathophysiology. Closed balloon compression injuries were induced with different inflated volumes (40 μl, 50 μl or no inflation) at the T7/8 level in rabbits. ISP was monitored by a SOPHYSA probe at the epicenter within 7 days post-SCI. Edema progression, spinal cord perfusion and damage severity were evaluated by serial multisequence MRI scans, somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and behavioral scores. Histological and blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB) permeability results were subsequently analyzed. The results showed that the ISP waveforms comprised three peaks, significantly increased after tSCI, peaked at 72 h (21.86 ± 3.13 mmHg) in the moderate group or 48 h (31.71 ± 6.02 mmHg) in the severe group and exhibited "slow elevated and fast decreased" or "fast elevated and slow decreased" dynamic changes in both injured groups. Elevated ISP after injury was correlated with spinal cord perfusion and edema progression, leading to secondary lesion enlargement. The secondary damage aggravation can be visualized by diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). Moreover, the BSCB permeability was significantly increased at the epicenter and rostrocaudal segments at 72 h after SCI; by 14 days, notable permeability was still observed at the caudal segment in the severely injured rabbits. Our results suggest that the ISP of rabbits with closed canals increased after acute compression SCI and exhibited different dynamic change patterns in moderately and severely injured rabbits. Elevated ISP exacerbated spinal cord perfusion, drove edema progression and led to secondary lesion enlargement that was strongly associated with BSCB disruption. For severe tSCI, early intervention targeting elevated ISP may be an indispensable choice to rescue spinal cord function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaohua Yang
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China; Department of Orthopaedics, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, No.25 Taiping Street, Jiangyang District, Sichuan 646000, China; Orthopedic Laboratory of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China.
| | - Tao He
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China; Orthopedic Laboratory of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China; Department of Orthopaedic Trauma, Chongqing General Hospital, No.118 Xingguang Avenue, Liangjiang New District, Chongqing 40114, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, No.25 Taiping Street, Jiangyang District, Sichuan 646000, China
| | - Gaoju Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, No.25 Taiping Street, Jiangyang District, Sichuan 646000, China
| | - Jingjin Ma
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China; Orthopedic Laboratory of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Zhiyu Chen
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China; Orthopedic Laboratory of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Qiaochu Li
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China; Orthopedic Laboratory of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Linbang Wang
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China; Orthopedic Laboratory of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Zhengxue Quan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China; Orthopedic Laboratory of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China.
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Li Z, Zhai S, Liu S, Chen C, Guo X, Hu P, Wang B, Zhang Y, Wei F, Liu Z. A sheep model of chronic cervical compressive myelopathy via an implantable wireless compression device. EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EUROPEAN SPINE SOCIETY, THE EUROPEAN SPINAL DEFORMITY SOCIETY, AND THE EUROPEAN SECTION OF THE CERVICAL SPINE RESEARCH SOCIETY 2022; 31:1219-1227. [PMID: 35192070 DOI: 10.1007/s00586-022-07138-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to establish an animal model in which we can precisely displace the spinal cord and therefore mimic the chronic spinal compression of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. METHODS In vivo intervertebral compression devices (IVCDs) connected with subcutaneous control modules (SCCMs) were implanted into the C2-3 intervertebral disk spaces of sheep and connected by Bluetooth to an in vitro control system. Sixteen sheep were divided into four groups: (Group A) control; (Group B) 10-week progressive compression, then held; (Group C) 20-week progressive compression, then held; and (Group D) 20-week progressive compression, then decompression. Electrophysiological analysis (latency and amplitude of the N1-P1-N2 wave in somatosensory evoked potentials, SEP), behavioral changes (Tarlov score), imaging test (encroachment ratio (ER) of intraspinal invasion determined by X-ray and CT scan), and histological examinations (hematoxylin and eosin, Nissl, and TUNEL staining) were performed to assess the efficacy of our model. RESULTS Tarlov scores gradually decreased as compression increased with time and partially recovered after decompression. The Pearson correlation coefficient between ER and time was r = 0.993 (p < 0.001) in Group B at 10 weeks and Groups C and D at 20 weeks. And ER was negatively correlated with the Tarlov score (r = -0.878, p < 0.001). As compression progressed, the SEP latency was significantly extended (p < 0.001), and the amplitude significantly decreased (p < 0.001), while they were both partially restored after decompression. The number of abnormal motor neurons and TUNEL-positive cells increased significantly (p < 0.001) with compression. CONCLUSION Our implantable and wireless intervertebral compression model demonstrated outstanding controllability and reproducibility in simulating chronic cervical spinal cord compression in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihe Li
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.,Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, China
| | - Shuheng Zhai
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.,Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, China
| | - Shanshan Liu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.,Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, China
| | - Chunhua Chen
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Xinhu Guo
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.,Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, China
| | - Panpan Hu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.,Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, China
| | - Ben Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.,Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, China
| | - Youyu Zhang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.,Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Wei
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China. .,Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China. .,Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhongjun Liu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.,Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, China
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Cui H, Wang Y, Li G, Huang Y, Hu Y. Different Time-frequency Distribution Patterns of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Dual- and Single-level Spinal Cord Compression. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2022; 30:1052-1059. [PMID: 35417350 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2022.3167260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Among patients with cervical myelopathy, the most common level of stenosis at spinal cord of all ages was reported to be between cervical levels C5-6. Previous studies found that time-frequency components (TFCs) of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) possess location information of spinal cord injury (SCI) in single-level deficits in the spinal cord. However, the clinical reality is that there are multiple compressions at multiple spinal cord segments. This study proposed a new algorithm to differentiate distribution patterns of SEP TFCs between the dual-level compression and the corresponding single-level compression, which is potentials in providing precise diagnosis of cervical myelopathy. In the present animal study, a group of rats with dual-level compressive (C5+6) injury to cervical spinal cord was investigated. SEPs were collected at 2 weeks after surgery, while SEP TFCs were calculated. The SEP TFCs under dual-level compression were compared to an existent dataset with one sham control group and three single level compression groups at C4, C5, C6. Behavioral evaluation showed very similar scale of injury severity between individual rats, while histology evaluation confirmed the precise location of injury. According to time-frequency distribution patterns, it showed that the middle-energy components of dual-level showed similar patterns as that of each single-level group. In addition, the low-energy components of the dual-level C5+6 group had the highest correlation with C5 (R=0.3423, p<0.01) and C6 (R=0.4000, p<0.01) groups, but much lower with C4 group (R=0.1071, p=0.012). These results indicated that SEP TFCs components possess information regarding the location of neurological lesion after spinal cord compression. It preliminarily demonstrated that SEP TFCs are likely a useful measure to provide location information of neurological lesions after compression SCI.
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Neuroinflammation and apoptosis after surgery for a rat model of double-level cervical cord compression. Neurochem Int 2022; 157:105340. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2022.105340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Wu X, Xu X, Liu Q, Ding J, Liu J, Huang Z, Huang Z, Wu X, Li R, Yang Z, Jiang H, Liu J, Zhu Q. Unilateral cervical spinal cord injury induces bone loss and metabolic changes in non-human primates ( Macaca fascicularis). J Orthop Translat 2021; 29:113-122. [PMID: 34178602 PMCID: PMC8193057 DOI: 10.1016/j.jot.2021.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE The deleterious effects of chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) on the skeleton in rats, especially the lower extremities, has been proved previously. However, the long-term skeletal changes after SCI in non-human primates (NHP) have been scarcely studied. This study aimed to evaluate the bone loss in limbs and vertebrae and the bone metabolic changes in NHP after unilateral cervical spinal cord contusion injury. METHODS Twelve Macaca fascicularis were randomly divided into the SCI (n=8) and the Sham (n=4) groups. The SCI models were established using hemi-contusion cervical spinal cord injury on fifth cervical vertebra (C5), and were further evaluated by histological staining and neurophysiological monitoring. Changes of bone microstructures, bone biomechanics, and bone metabolism markers were assessed by micro-CT, micro-FEA and serological kit. RESULTS The NHP hemi-contusion cervical SCI model led to consistent unilateral limb dysfunction and potential plasticity in the face of loss of spinal cord. Furthermore, the cancellous bone mass of ipsilateral humerus and radius decreased significantly compared to the contralateral side. The bone volume fraction of humerus and radius were 17.2% and 20.1% on the ipsilateral while 29.0% and 30.1% on the contralateral respectively. Similarly, the thickness of the cortical bone in the ipsilateral forelimbs was significantly decreased, as well as the bone strength of the ipsilateral forelimbs. These changes were accompanied by diminished concentration of osteocalcin and total procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (t-P1NP) as well as increased level of β-C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type 1collagen (β-CTX) in serological testing. CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrated that hemi-SCI induced loss of bone mass and compromised biomechanical performance in ipsilateral forelimbs, which could be indicated by both muscle atrophy and serological changes of bone metabolism, and associated with a consistent loss of large-diameter cells of sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia. THE TRANSLATIONAL POTENTIAL OF THIS ARTICLE Our study, for the first time, demonstrated the bone loss in limbs and vertebrae as well as the bone metabolic changes in non-human primates after unilateral spinal cord injury (SCI). This may help to elucidate the role of muscle atrophy, serological changes and loss of sensory neurons in the mechanisms of SCI-induced osteoporosis, which would be definitely better compared with rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuhua Wu
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaolin Xu
- Department of Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Liu
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jianyang Ding
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Junhao Liu
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhiping Huang
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zucheng Huang
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaoliang Wu
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Rong Li
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhou Yang
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Hui Jiang
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jie Liu
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Blusson Spinal Cord Center, Vancouver, BritishColumbia, Canada
| | - Qingan Zhu
- Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Cheng X, Yu Z, Xu J, Quan D, Long H. Pathophysiological Changes and the Role of Notch-1 Activation After Decompression in a Compressive Spinal Cord Injury Rat Model. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:579431. [PMID: 33584186 PMCID: PMC7876297 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.579431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Surgical decompression is the primary treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients with compressive spinal cord injury (CSCI). However, the prognosis of patients with CSCI varies, and the pathophysiological changes following decompression remain poor. This study aimed to investigate the pathophysiological changes and the role of Notch-1 activation after decompression in a rat CSCI model. Surgical decompression was conducted at 1 week post-injury (wpi). DAPT was intraperitoneally injected to down-regulate Notch-1 expression. Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scores and an inclined plane test were used to evaluate the motor function recovery. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to assess pathophysiological changes, while hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), von Willebrand factor (vWF), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, MMP-2, Notch-1, and Hes-1 expression in the spinal cord were examined by immunohistochemical analysis or quantitative PCR. The results show that early decompression can partially promote motor function recovery. Improvements in structural and cellular damage and hypoxic levels were also observed in the decompressed spinal cord. Moreover, decompression resulted in increased VEGF and vWF expression, but decreased MMP-9 and MMP-2 expression at 3 wpi. Expression levels of Notch-1 and its downstream gene Hes-1 were increased after decompression, and the inhibition of Notch-1 significantly reduced the decompression-induced motor function recovery. This exploratory study revealed preliminary pathophysiological changes in the compressed and decompressed rat spinal cord. Furthermore, we confirmed that early surgical decompression partially promotes motor function recovery may via activation of the Notch-1 signaling pathway after CSCI. These results could provide new insights for the development of drug therapy to enhance recovery following surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Cheng
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhengran Yu
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinghui Xu
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Daping Quan
- PCFM Lab, GD HPPC Lab, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Houqing Long
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Cui HY, Wu YX, Li R, Li GS, Hu Y. A translational study of somatosensory evoked potential time-frequency components in rats, goats, and humans. Neural Regen Res 2021; 16:2269-2275. [PMID: 33818512 PMCID: PMC8354111 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.310693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) have been widely used to assess neurological function in clinical practice. A good understanding of the association between SEP signals and neurological function is helpful for precise diagnosis of impairment location. Previous studies on SEPs have been reported in animal models. However, few studies have reported the relationships between SEP waveforms in animals and those in humans. In this study, we collected normal SEP waveforms and decomposed them into specific time-frequency components (TFCs). Our results showed three stable TFC distribution regions in intact goats and rats and in humans. After we induced spinal cord injury in the animal models, a greater number of small TFC distribution regions were observed in the injured goat and rat groups than in the normal group. Moreover, there were significant correlations (P < 0.05) and linear relationships between the main SEP TFCs of the human group and those of the goat and rat groups. A stable TFC distribution of SEP components was observed in the human, goat and rat groups, and the TFC distribution modes were similar between the three groups. Results in various animal models in this study could be translated to future clinical studies based on SEP TFC analysis. Human studies were approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Hong Kong/Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster (approval No. UM 05-312 T/975) on December 5, 2005. Rat experiments were approved by the Committee on the Use of Live Animals in Teaching and Research of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (approval No. CULART 2912-12) on January 28, 2013. Goat experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University (approval No. GDY2002132) on March 5, 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Yan Cui
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Yi-Xin Wu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Rong Li
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Guang-Sheng Li
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Spinal Division, Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Yong Hu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin; Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong -Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
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11
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Li R, Huang ZC, Cui HY, Huang ZP, Liu JH, Zhu QA, Hu Y. Utility of somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials in reflecting gross and fine motor functions after unilateral cervical spinal cord contusion injury. Neural Regen Res 2021; 16:1323-1330. [PMID: 33318412 PMCID: PMC8284273 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.301486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Fine motor skills are thought to rely on the integrity of ascending sensory pathways in the spinal dorsal column as well as descending motor pathways that have a neocortical origin. However, the neurophysiological processes underlying communication between the somatosensory and motor pathways that regulate fine motor skills during spontaneous recovery after spinal cord contusion injury remain unclear. Here, we established a rat model of cervical hemicontusive injury using C5 laminectomy followed by contusional displacement of 1.2 mm (mild injury) or 2.0 mm (severe injury) to the C5 spinal cord. Electrophysiological recordings were performed on the brachial muscles up to 12 weeks after injury to investigate the mechanisms by which spinal cord pathways participate in motor function. After spinal cord contusion injury, the amplitudes of somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials were reduced, and the latencies were increased. The forelimb open field locomotion test, grooming test, rearing test and Montoya staircase test revealed improvement in functions. With increasing time after injury, the amplitudes of somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials in rats with mild spinal cord injury increased gradually, and the latencies gradually shortened. In comparison, the recovery times of somatosensory and motor-evoked potential amplitudes and latencies were longer, and the recovery of motor function was delayed in rats with severe spinal cord injury. Correlation analysis revealed that somatosensory-evoked potential and motor-evoked potential parameters were correlated with gross and fine motor function in rats with mild spinal cord contusion injury. In contrast, only somatosensory-evoked potential amplitude was correlated with fine motor skills in rats with severe spinal cord injury. Our results show that changes in both somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials can reflect the changes in gross and fine motor functions after mild spinal cord contusion injury, and that the change in somatosensory-evoked potential amplitude can also reflect the change in fine motor function after severe spinal cord contusion injury. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, China (approval No. NFYY-2017-67) on June 11, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Li
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin; Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, The Hong Kong University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Zu-Cheng Huang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Hong-Yan Cui
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhi-Ping Huang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Jun-Hao Liu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Qing-An Zhu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Yong Hu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin; Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, The Hong Kong University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
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12
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Akter F, Yu X, Qin X, Yao S, Nikrouz P, Syed YA, Kotter M. The Pathophysiology of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and the Physiology of Recovery Following Decompression. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:138. [PMID: 32425740 PMCID: PMC7203415 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), also known as cervical spondylotic myelopathy is the leading cause of spinal cord compression in adults. The mainstay of treatment is surgical decompression, which leads to partial recovery of symptoms, however, long term prognosis of the condition remains poor. Despite advances in treatment methods, the underlying pathobiology is not well-known. A better understanding of the disease is therefore required for the development of treatments to improve outcomes following surgery. Objective: To systematically evaluate the pathophysiology of DCM and the mechanism underlying recovery following decompression. Methods: A total of 13,808 published articles were identified in our systematic search of electronic databases (PUBMED, WEB OF SCIENCE). A total of 51 studies investigating the secondary injury mechanisms of DCM or physiology of recovery in animal models of disease underwent comprehensive review. Results: Forty-seven studies addressed the pathophysiology of DCM. Majority of the studies demonstrated evidence of neuronal loss following spinal cord compression. A number of studies provided further details of structural changes in neurons such as myelin damage and axon degeneration. The mechanisms of injury to cells included direct apoptosis and increased inflammation. Only four papers investigated the pathobiological changes that occur in spinal cords following decompression. One study demonstrated evidence of axonal plasticity following decompressive surgery. Another study demonstrated ischaemic-reperfusion injury following decompression, however this phenomenon was worse when decompression was delayed. Conclusions: In preclinical studies, the pathophysiology of DCM has been poorly studied and a number of questions remain unanswered. The physiological changes seen in the decompressed spinal cord has not been widely investigated and it is paramount that researchers investigate the decompressed spinal cord further to enable the development of therapeutic tools, to enhance recovery following surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhana Akter
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States.,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Xinming Yu
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Xingping Qin
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Shun Yao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Parisa Nikrouz
- Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust, Maidstone, United Kingdom
| | - Yasir Ahmed Syed
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI), Cathays, United Kingdom.,School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Kotter
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Cui H, Li H, Li G, Kang C, Yao X, Feng S, Hu Y. Utility of Trial-to-Trial Latency Variability of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials for Diagnosis of Spinal Cord Demyelination. J Neurotrauma 2019; 36:3356-3362. [PMID: 31030618 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.6293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Cui
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Hanlei Li
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Guangsheng Li
- Spinal division, Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Guangdong, China
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Cheng Kang
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xue Yao
- Department of Orthopedics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Shiqing Feng
- Department of Orthopedics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Yong Hu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
- Spinal division, Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Guangdong, China
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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Cui H, Wang Y, Li G, Huang Y, Hu Y. Exploration of Cervical Myelopathy Location From Somatosensory Evoked Potentials Using Random Forests Classification. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2019; 27:2254-2262. [PMID: 31603823 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2019.2945634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Studies using time-frequency analysis have reported that somatosensory evoked potentials provide information regarding the location of spinal cord injury. However, a better understanding of the time-frequency components derived from somatosensory evoked potentials is essential for developing more reliable algorithms that can diagnosis level (location) of cervical injury. In the present study, we proposed a random forests machine learning approach, for separating somatosensory evoked potentials depending on spinal cord state. For data acquisition, we established rat models of compression spinal cord injury at the C4, C5, and C6 levels to induce cervical myelopathy. After making the compression injury, we collected somatosensory evoked potentials and extracted their time-frequency components. We then used the random forests classification system to analyze the evoked potential dataset that was obtained from the three groups of model rats. Evaluation of the classifier performance revealed an overall classification accuracy of 84.72%, confirming that the random forests method was able to separate the time-frequency components of somatosensory evoked potentials from rats under different conditions. Features of the time-frequency components contained information that could identify the location of the cervical spinal cord injury, demonstrating the potential benefits of using time-frequency components of somatosensory evoked potentials to diagnose the level of cervical injury in cervical myelopathy.
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Expression profile of long non-coding RNAs in cervical spondylotic myelopathy of rats by microarray and bioinformatics analysis. Genomics 2019; 111:1192-1200. [PMID: 30615923 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.01.005] [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: 05/06/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION It has been reported that a wide range of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in numerous diseases such as tumor, cardiopathy and neurological disorders. Identifying the differentially expressed (DE) profile of lncRNAs in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is essential to understand the mechanisms of CSM. METHODS Microarray assay, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and bioinformatics analysis were employed to reveal the DE profile and potential functions of lncRNAs in CSM. RESULTS Microarray analysis displayed the DE profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in rats between the CSM group and the control (CON) group. Thereinto, 1266 DE lncRNAs (738 up-regulation and 528 down-regulation) and 847 mRNAs (487 up-regulation and 360 down-regulation) with >1.1 fold change (FC) were finally identified. Moreover, 17 lncRNAs (13 up-regulation and 4 down-regulation) and 18 mRNAs (13 up-regulation and 5 down-regulation) were found deregulated by >2 FC. Further bioinformatics analysis showed the most remarkable biological processes among up-regulated RNAs contain cellular response to interferon-beta, inflammatory response and innate immune response, which may involve in CSM. Besides, related DE mRNAs of 17 DE lncRNAs in the genome were related to signaling pathway about NOD-like receptor, TNF, and apoptosis. In addition, a co-expression network of lncRNA-mRNA was established for analyzing the biological roles of lncRNAs. Among these, we found a ceRNA network related to CSM. Finally, the expressions of the DE lncRNAs and ceRNA network confirmed by qRT-PCR were in agreement with microarray data. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed the DE profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs for CSM. Those dysregulated RNAs may represent potential therapeutic targets of CSM for further study.
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Zhang L, Yang L, Li W, Yang Y, Sun W, Gong P, Wang L, Wang K. A Potential Competitive Endogenous RNA Pathway Involved in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury. Med Sci Monit 2018; 24:8022-8032. [PMID: 30411720 PMCID: PMC6238548 DOI: 10.12659/msm.911536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic spinal cord injury (CSCI) is a worldwide clinical problem. We aimed to reveal differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and to find associated pathways that may function as targets for CSCI therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS After a CSCI rat model was confirmed by the Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) scale and the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test, microarray analysis was used to obtain the expression profile of DE lncRNAs between CSCI rats and corresponding control rats. Then, bioinformatics analyses, including GO and KEGG pathway analysis, DE lncRNAs-mRNAs co-expression analysis, and several databases, were used to examine the function of these DE lncRNAs. Finally, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate the expressions of the 5 most significantly changed lncRNAs, Col6a1, and miR-330-3p. RESULTS Our study identified 1266 DE lncRNAs and 847 DE mRNAs, among which lncRNA6032 was significant up-regulated. Furthermore, the expressions of miR-330-3p and Col6a1 associated with lncRNA6032 were down-regulated and up-regulated, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that the abundance of DE lncRNAs may be associated with the risk of CSCI outcome and revealed a potential competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) pathway involved in CSCI. Further experiments in vivo and in vitro were essential to uncover the exact mechanism of this ceRNA pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Li Yang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Wenhui Li
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Yalin Yang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Weizong Sun
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Pengfei Gong
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Ling Wang
- The Second Clinical School of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, P.R. China
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Abnormal White Matter Microstructure in Lifelong Premature Ejaculation Patients Identified by Tract–Based Spatial Statistical Analysis. J Sex Med 2018; 15:1272-1279. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Changes in white matter in mice resulting from low-frequency brain stimulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E6339-E6346. [PMID: 29915074 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1802160115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent reports have begun to elucidate mechanisms by which learning and experience produce white matter changes in the brain. We previously reported changes in white matter surrounding the anterior cingulate cortex in humans after 2-4 weeks of meditation training. We further found that low-frequency optogenetic stimulation of the anterior cingulate in mice increased time spent in the light in a light/dark box paradigm, suggesting decreased anxiety similar to what is observed following meditation training. Here, we investigated the impact of this stimulation at the cellular level. We found that laser stimulation in the range of 1-8 Hz results in changes to subcortical white matter projection fibers in the corpus callosum. Specifically, stimulation resulted in increased oligodendrocyte proliferation, accompanied by a decrease in the g-ratio within the corpus callosum underlying the anterior cingulate cortex. These results suggest that low-frequency stimulation can result in activity-dependent remodeling of myelin, giving rise to enhanced connectivity and altered behavior.
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Yang C, Wang G, Ma F, Yu B, Chen F, Yang J, Feng J, Wang Q. Repeated injections of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells significantly promotes functional recovery in rabbits with spinal cord injury of two noncontinuous segments. Stem Cell Res Ther 2018; 9:136. [PMID: 29751769 PMCID: PMC5948759 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-018-0879-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are sustained by an increasing number of patients each year worldwide. The treatment of SCIs has long been a hard nut to crack for doctors around the world. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown benefits for the repair of SCI and recovery of function. Our present study aims to investigate the effects of intravenously infused human umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (hUCB-MSCs) on functional recovery after subacute spinal cord compression injury of two noncontinuous segments. In addition, we compared the effects of single infusion and repeated intravenous (i.v.) injections on the recovery of spinal cord function. Methods A total of 43 adult rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: control, single injection (SI), repeated injection at a 3-day (3RI) or repeated injection at a 7-day interval (7RI) groups. Non-immunosuppressed rabbits in the transplantation groups were infused with either a single complete dose or three divided doses of 2 × 106 hUCB-MSCs (3-day or 7-day intervals) on the first day post decompression. Behavioural scores and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were used to evaluate hindlimb functional recovery. The survival and differentiation of the transplanted human cells and the activation of the host glial and inflammatory reaction in the injured spinal cord were studied by immunohistochemical staining. Results Our results showed that hUCB-MSCs survived, proliferated, and primarily differentiated into oligodendrocytes in the injured area. Treatment with hUCB-MSCs reduced the extent of astrocytic activation, increased axonal preservation, potentially promoted axonal regeneration, decreased the number of Iba-1+ and TUNEL+ cells, increased the amplitude and decreased the onset latency of SEPs and significantly promoted functional improvement. However, these effects were more pronounced in the 3RI group compared with the SI and 7RI groups. Conclusions Our results suggest that treatment with i.v. injected hUCB-MSCs after subacute spinal cord compression injury of two noncontinuous segments can promote functional recovery through the differentiation of hUCB-MSCs into specific cell types and the enhancement of anti-inflammatory, anti-astrogliosis, anti-apoptotic and axonal preservation effects. Furthermore, the recovery was more pronounced in the rabbits repeatedly injected with cells at 3-day intervals. The results of this study may provide a novel and useful treatment strategy for the transplantation treatment of SCI. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13287-018-0879-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaohua Yang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 25 Taiping Street, Jiangyang Area, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Gaoju Wang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 25 Taiping Street, Jiangyang Area, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Fenfen Ma
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Baoqing Yu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, 2800 Gongwei Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Fancheng Chen
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, 2800 Gongwei Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Jin Yang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 25 Taiping Street, Jiangyang Area, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Jianjun Feng
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, 2800 Gongwei Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201399, China.
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 25 Taiping Street, Jiangyang Area, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
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Huang Z, Li R, Liu J, Huang Z, Hu Y, Wu X, Zhu Q. Longitudinal electrophysiological changes after cervical hemi-contusion spinal cord injury in rats. Neurosci Lett 2017; 664:116-122. [PMID: 29138091 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Revised: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the longitudinal somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) characterization from acute to chronic injury following cervical hemi-contusion spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats, and correlate the MEPs & SEPs to the behavioral outcomes. METHODS Fifteen adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to the hemi-contusion spinal cord injury at C5. Forelimb MEPs & SEPs were applied to 5 animals before injury and 3h, 1d, 3d, 1w, 2w, 4w and 8w after injury respectively. Forelimb functional assessments, including Montoya staircase task and cylinder rearing test, were conducted on another 10 animals before injury and at 2w, 4w and 8w after injury respectively, as well as histological analysis of the cord at 8w after injury. A group correlation was performed between the MEPs & SEPs and behavioral outcomes. RESULTS The hemi-contusion injury resulted in unilateral tissue damage at the epicenter with loss of the ventral horns and lateral funiculus. Both ipsilateral and contralateral forelimb MEPs showed latency prolongation and amplitude reduction at 3h after injury. The MEPs amplitude increased with time after injury, but the ipsilateral amplitude was persistently lower than the contralateral amplitude. The ipsilateral MEPs latency increased with time after injury and was significantly longer than the contralateral MEPs latency. The ipsilateral SEPs amplitude dropped after injury and stayed at a lower level up to 8 weeks. There was no difference in the SEPs latency among time points and between sides. At 8 weeks after injury, the ipsilateral forelimb grasped 30% pellets while the contralateral forelimb close to 81%. An obvious decreased usage of the ipsilateral paw and increased usage of the contralateral paw were observed in rearing test after injury. The MEPs latency and amplitude correlated significantly with the forelimb motor function. CONCLUSION Cervical hemi-contusion SCI led to persistent changes in MEPs & SEPs of the ipsilateral forelimb, ipsilateral impairment in motor function and unilateral cord tissue damage. Reliable electrophysiology assessment was obtained in chronic phase due to unstable MEPs & SEPs of bilateral forelimb immediately after injury, which might reflect the underlying pathological processes. The present study further confirmed the link of the MEPs to the behavioral outcomes, supporting the longitudinal electrophysiology assessment for neurological impairment after SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zucheng Huang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Rong Li
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Junhao Liu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhiping Huang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yong Hu
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaoliang Wu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Qingan Zhu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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Liu H, MacMillan EL, Jutzeler CR, Ljungberg E, MacKay AL, Kolind SH, Mädler B, Li DKB, Dvorak MF, Curt A, Laule C, Kramer JLK. Assessing structure and function of myelin in cervical spondylotic myelopathy: Evidence of demyelination. Neurology 2017; 89:602-610. [PMID: 28701500 PMCID: PMC5562959 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000004197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To assess the extent of demyelination in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) using myelin water imaging (MWI) and electrophysiologic techniques. METHODS Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and MWI were acquired in 14 patients with CSM and 18 age-matched healthy controls. MWI was performed on a 3.0T whole body magnetic resonance scanner. Myelin water fraction (MWF) was extracted for the dorsal columns and whole cord. SSEPs and MWF were also compared with conventional MRI outcomes, including T2 signal intensity, compression ratio, maximum spinal cord compression (MSCC), and maximum canal compromise (MCC). RESULTS Group analysis showed marked differences in T2 signal intensity, compression ratio, MSCC, and MCC between healthy controls and patients with CSM. There were no group differences in MWF and SSEP latencies. However, patients with CSM with pathologic SSEPs exhibited reduction in MWF (p < 0.05). MWF was also correlated with SSEP latencies. CONCLUSION Our findings provide evidence of decreased myelin content in the spinal cord associated with impaired spinal cord conduction in patients with CSM. While conventional MRI are of great value to define the extent of cord compression, they show a limited correlation with functional deficits (i.e., delayed SSEPs). MWI provides independent and complementary readouts to spinal cord compression, with a high specificity to detect impaired conduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanwen Liu
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Erin L MacMillan
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Catherine R Jutzeler
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Emil Ljungberg
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alex L MacKay
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Shannon H Kolind
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Burkhard Mädler
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - David K B Li
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marcel F Dvorak
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Armin Curt
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cornelia Laule
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
| | - John L K Kramer
- From Physics and Astronomy (H.L., A.L.M., B.M.), ICORD (H.L., C.R.J., M.F.D., C.L., J.L.K.K.), Medicine (Neurology) (E.L.M., E.L., S.H.K., D.K.B.L.), Radiology (A.L.M., D.K.B.L., C.L.), Orthopaedics (M.F.D.), Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (C.L.), and School of Kinesiology (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center (C.R.J., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Switzerland; and Philips Healthcare (B.M.), Hamburg, Germany
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22
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Component analysis of somatosensory evoked potentials for identifying spinal cord injury location. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2351. [PMID: 28539587 PMCID: PMC5443771 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02555-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aims to determine whether the time-frequency components (TFCs) of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) can be used to identify the specific location of a compressive spinal cord injury using a classification technique. Waveforms of SEPs after compressive injuries at various locations (C4, C5 and C6) in rat spinal cords were decomposed into a series of TFCs using a high-resolution time-frequency analysis method. A classification method based on support vector machine (SVM) was applied to the distributions of these TFCs among different pathological locations. The difference among injury locations manifests itself in different categories of SEP TFCs. High-energy TFCs of normal-state SEPs have significantly higher power and frequency than those of injury-state SEPs. The location of C5 is characterized by a unique distribution pattern of middle-energy TFCs. The difference between C4 and C6 is evidenced by the distribution pattern of low-energy TFCs. The proposed classification method based on SEP TFCs offers a discrimination accuracy of 80.2%. In this study, meaningful information contained in various SEP components was investigated and used to propose a new application of SEPs for identification of the location of pathological changes in the cervical spinal cord.
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23
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Yang C, Yu B, Ma F, Lu H, Huang J, You Q, Yu B, Qiao J, Feng J. What is the optimal sequence of decompression for multilevel noncontinuous spinal cord compression injuries in rabbits? BMC Neurol 2017; 17:44. [PMID: 28231826 PMCID: PMC5324218 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-017-0824-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In recent years, multilevel spinal cord injuries (SCIs) have gained a substantial amount of attention from clinicians and researchers. Multilevel noncontinuous SCI patients cannot undergo the multiple steps of a one-stage operation because of a poor general condition or a lack of proper surgical approaches. The surgeon subsequently faces the decision of whether to initially relieve the rostral or caudal compression. In this study, we established a spinal cord compression model involving two noncontinuous segments in rabbits to evaluate the effects of differences in decompression order on the functional recovery of the spinal cord. Methods A Fogarty catheter was inserted into the epidural space through a hole in T6-7 and advanced 3 cm rostrally or caudally. Following successful model establishment, which was demonstrated by an evaluation of evoked potentials, balloons of different volumes (40 μl or 50 μl) were inflated in the experimental groups, whereas no balloons were inflated in the control group. The experimental groups underwent the first decompression in the rostral or caudal area at 1 week post-injury; the second decompression was performed at 2 weeks post-injury. For 6 weeks post-injury, the animals were tested to determine behavioral scores, somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and radiographic imaging changes; histological and apoptosis assay results were subsequently analyzed. Results The behavioral test results and onset latency of the SEPs indicated that there were significant differences between priority rostral decompression (PRD) and priority caudal decompression (PCD) in the 50-μl compression group at 6 weeks post-injury; however, there were no significant differences between the two procedures in the 40-μl group at the same time point. Moreover, there were no significant peak-to-peak amplitude differences between the two procedures in the 50-μl compression group. Conclusions The findings of this study suggested that preferential rostral decompression was more beneficial than priority caudal decompression with respect to facilitating spinal cord functional recovery in rabbits with severe paraplegia and may provide clinicians with a reference for the clinical treatment of multiple-segment spinal cord compression injuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaohua Yang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Baoqing Yu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Fenfen Ma
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Huiping Lu
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Jianmin Huang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Qinghua You
- Department of Pathology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Bin Yu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Jianlan Qiao
- Department of Radiology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, 201399, China
| | - Jianjun Feng
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, 201399, China.
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24
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Pu J, Xu H, Wang Y, Cui H, Hu Y. Combined nonlinear metrics to evaluate spontaneous EEG recordings from chronic spinal cord injury in a rat model: a pilot study. Cogn Neurodyn 2016; 10:367-73. [PMID: 27668016 PMCID: PMC5018015 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-016-9394-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a high-cost disability and may cause permanent loss of movement and sensation below the injury location. The chance of cure in human after SCI is extremely limited. Instead, neural regeneration could have been seen in animals after SCI, and such regeneration could be retarded by blocking neural plasticity pathways, showing the importance of neural plasticity in functional recovery. As an indicator of nonlinear dynamics in the brain, sample entropy was used here in combination with detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and Kolmogorov complexity to quantify functional plasticity changes in spontaneous EEG recordings of rats before and after SCI. The results showed that the sample entropy values were decreased at the first day following injury then gradually increased during recovery. DFA and Kolmogorov complexity results were in consistent with sample entropy, showing the complexity of the EEG time series was lost after injury and partially regained in 1 week. The tendency to regain complexity is in line with the observation of behavioral rehabilitation. A critical time point was found during the recovery process after SCI. Our preliminary results suggested that the combined use of these nonlinear dynamical metrics could provide a quantitative and predictive way to assess the change of neural plasticity in a spinal cord injury rat model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangbo Pu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hanhui Xu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yazhou Wang
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongyan Cui
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yong Hu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
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25
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Figini M, Scotti A, Marcuzzo S, Bonanno S, Padelli F, Moreno-Manzano V, García-Verdugo JM, Bernasconi P, Mantegazza R, Bruzzone MG, Zucca I. Comparison of Diffusion MRI Acquisition Protocols for the In Vivo Characterization of the Mouse Spinal Cord: Variability Analysis and Application to an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Model. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161646. [PMID: 27560686 PMCID: PMC4999133 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) has relevant applications in the microstructural characterization of the spinal cord, especially in neurodegenerative diseases. Animal models have a pivotal role in the study of such diseases; however, in vivo spinal dMRI of small animals entails additional challenges that require a systematical investigation of acquisition parameters. The purpose of this study is to compare three acquisition protocols and identify the scanning parameters allowing a robust estimation of the main diffusion quantities and a good sensitivity to neurodegeneration in the mouse spinal cord. For all the protocols, the signal-to-noise and contrast-to noise ratios and the mean value and variability of Diffusion Tensor metrics were evaluated in healthy controls. For the estimation of fractional anisotropy less variability was provided by protocols with more diffusion directions, for the estimation of mean, axial and radial diffusivity by protocols with fewer diffusion directions and higher diffusion weighting. Intermediate features (12 directions, b = 1200 s/mm2) provided the overall minimum inter- and intra-subject variability in most cases. In order to test the diagnostic sensitivity of the protocols, 7 G93A-SOD1 mice (model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) at 10 and 17 weeks of age were scanned and the derived diffusion parameters compared with those estimated in age-matched healthy animals. The protocols with an intermediate or high number of diffusion directions provided the best differentiation between the two groups at week 17, whereas only few local significant differences were highlighted at week 10. According to our results, a dMRI protocol with an intermediate number of diffusion gradient directions and a relatively high diffusion weighting is optimal for spinal cord imaging. Further work is needed to confirm these results and for a finer tuning of acquisition parameters. Nevertheless, our findings could be important for the optimization of acquisition protocols for preclinical and clinical dMRI studies on the spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Figini
- Scientific Direction, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo Besta” Milan, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Alessandro Scotti
- Scientific Direction, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo Besta” Milan, Italy
| | - Stefania Marcuzzo
- Neurology IV—Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo Besta”, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Bonanno
- Neurology IV—Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo Besta”, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Padelli
- Scientific Direction, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo Besta” Milan, Italy
| | - Victoria Moreno-Manzano
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Pia Bernasconi
- Neurology IV—Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo Besta”, Milan, Italy
| | - Renato Mantegazza
- Neurology IV—Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo Besta”, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Ileana Zucca
- Scientific Direction, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo Besta” Milan, Italy
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26
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Sun Y, Zhang LH, Fu YM, Li ZR, Liu JH, Peng J, Liu B, Tang PF. Establishment of a rat model of chronic thoracolumbar cord compression with a flat plastic screw. Neural Regen Res 2016; 11:963-70. [PMID: 27482226 PMCID: PMC4962595 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.184496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies of animal models of chronic mechanical compression of the spinal cord have mainly focused on cervical and thoracic lesions, but few studies have investigated thoracolumbar injury. The specific pathophysiological mechanism of chronic thoracolumbar cord injury has not yet been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to improve animal models of chronic thoracolumbar cord compression using the progressive screw. A custom-designed flat plastic screw was implanted in the spinal cord between thoracic vertebrae 12 and lumbar 1 of rats. The screw was tightened one complete turn (0.5 mm) every 7 days for 4 weeks to create different levels of chronic spinal cord compression. Following insertion of the screw, there was a significant decline in motor function of the hind limbs, and severe stenosis of micro-computed tomography parameters in the spinal cord. Cortical somatosensory evoked potential amplitudes were reduced remarkably, and latencies were prolonged at 30 minutes after surgery. The loss of motor neurons in the gray matter was marked. Demyelination and cavitation were observed in the white matter. An appropriate rat model of chronic thoracolumbar cord compression was successfully created using the progressive screw compression method, which simulated spinal cord compression injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Sun
- Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Li-Hai Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yang-Mu Fu
- Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhi-Rui Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Heng Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jiang Peng
- Department of Orthopedics Research Institute, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Liu
- Department of Orthopedics Research Institute, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Pei-Fu Tang
- Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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27
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Cheng X, Long H, Chen W, Xu J, Huang Y, Li F. Three-dimensional alteration of cervical anterior spinal artery and anterior radicular artery in rat model of chronic spinal cord compression by micro-CT. Neurosci Lett 2015; 606:106-12. [PMID: 26327142 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.08.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the spatial and temporal changes of anterior spinal artery (ASA) and anterior radicular artery (ARA) of chronic compressive spinal cord injury on rat model by three-dimensional micro-CT. METHODS 48 rats were divided into two groups: sham control group (n=24) and compressive spinal cord injury group (n=24). A C6 semi-laminectomy was performed in the sham control group, while a water-absorbable polyurethane polymer was implanted into C6 epidural space in the compression group. The Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) score and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) were used to evaluate neurological function. Micro-CT scanning was used to investigate the change of ASA and ARA after perfusion at the 1th (n=6), 28th (n=6), 42th (n=6) and 70th (n=6) day of post operation. The diameter, angle-off and vascular index (VI) was measured by 3D micro-CT. RESULTS In comparison with sham control, BBB score have a significant reduction at the 28th day (p<0.05) and abnormal SEP have a significant severity at the 28th day (p<0.05). Both of them have a significant improvement at the 70th day compared with that of the 28th day (p<0.05). VI shows the amount of microvessels reduced at the 28th day (p<0.05) and increased at the 70th day (p<0.05). The diameter and angle-off of ASA and ARA also changed significantly at the 28th, 42th, 70th day (p<0.05). CONCLUSION There was a significant alteration of cervical anterior spinal artery and anterior radicular artery after chronic cervical spinal cord compression. Alteration of ASA and ARA may affect the vascular density of spinal cord and play an important role in neural functional change of chronic cervical spinal cord compression through 3D micro-CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Cheng
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - HouQing Long
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China.
| | - WenLi Chen
- Department of neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - JingHui Xu
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - YangLiang Huang
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
| | - FoBao Li
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, PR China
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28
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Kortelainen J, Al-Nashash H, Vipin A, Thow XY, All A. The effect of anaesthesia on somatosensory evoked potential measurement in a rat model. Lab Anim 2015; 50:63-6. [DOI: 10.1177/0023677215589514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) are widely used to study the functional integrity of ascending sensory pathways. For animal studies, SEPs provide a convenient method to quantitatively assess the functionality of the nervous system with low invasiveness. Even though they are frequently used in animal models, little attention is paid to the fact that SEPs are vulnerable to contamination from experimental factors such as anaesthetic delivery. In this study, the effect of isoflurane on SEP measurement was investigated in a rat model. The aim was to find out the adjustments for anaesthetic delivery optimizing the quality of the recordings. Two aspects were studied: the effect of isoflurane dosage on the SEP parameters and on the repeatability of the measurements. The SEP quality was found to be best when 1.5% isoflurane concentration was used. This dosage resulted in the best signal-to-noise ratio and equal repeatability of the measurements compared with the others. Our findings can help in refining the anaesthetic protocols related to SEP recordings in a rat model and, by improving the quality of the measurements, potentially reducing the number of subjects needed to carry out studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jukka Kortelainen
- Biomedical Engineering Research Group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE), National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hasan Al-Nashash
- Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE), National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Electrical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ashwati Vipin
- Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE), National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xin Yuan Thow
- Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE), National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Angelo All
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Neurology and Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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29
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Wang D, Zhang J. Electrophysiological functional recovery in a rat model of spinal cord hemisection injury following bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation under hypothermia. Neural Regen Res 2015; 7:749-55. [PMID: 25737697 PMCID: PMC4345656 DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2012.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2011] [Accepted: 02/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Following successful establishment of a rat model of spinal cord hemisection injury by resecting right spinal cord tissues, bone marrow stem cells were transplanted into the spinal cord lesions via the caudal vein while maintaining rectal temperature at 34 ± 0.5°C for 6 hours (mild hypothermia). Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that astrocytes gathered around the injury site and formed scars at 4 weeks post-transplantation. Compared with rats transplanted with bone marrow stem cells under normal temperature, rats transplanted with bone marrow stem cells under hypothermia showed increased numbers of proliferating cells (bromodeoxyuridine-positive cells), better recovery of somatosensory-evoked and motor-evoked potentials, greater Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan locomotor rating scores, and an increased degree of angle in the incline plate test. These findings suggested that hypothermia combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transplantation effectively promoted electrical conduction and nerve functional repair in a rat model of spinal cord hemisection injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Fourth Central Hospital, Tianjin 300140, China
| | - Jianjun Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Fourth Central Hospital, Tianjin 300140, China
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30
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Wang J, Wang X, Rong W, Lv J, Wei F, Liu Z. Alteration in chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan expression at the epicenter of spinal cord is associated with the loss of behavioral function in Tiptoe walking Yoshimura mice. Neurochem Res 2014; 39:2394-406. [PMID: 25273876 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-014-1442-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2014] [Revised: 07/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to explore the correlation between the alteration in chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) expression at the epicenter of spinal cord and the loss of behavioral function in tiptoe walking Yoshimura mice. The tiptoe walking Yoshimura mice (twy) and Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice, aged 20 and 26 weeks, were used in the present study. The behavior assessment, micro-computed tomography and immunofluorescent staining were performed. The compressed spinal cord was histologically analyzed. The results showed that the expression of CSPG was statistically higher at the compressed spinal cord for twy mice compared with that at the normal spinal cord for ICR mice. At the 26th week, a large ossification block at the posterior longitudinal ligament of C1-3 was obviously observed at the micro-CT image We observed the BMS Score was significantly correlated with the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein, CSPG and hyaluronan (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that compression injury induces the higher CSPG expression at the compressed spinal cord in the twy mice. Furthermore, the alteration in CSPG expression at the epicenter of spinal cord is associated with the loss of behavioral function in twy mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
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31
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Decreased GFAP expression and improved functional recovery in contused spinal cord of rats following valproic acid therapy. Neurochem Res 2014; 39:2319-33. [PMID: 25205382 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-014-1429-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 08/20/2014] [Accepted: 09/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have illustrated that much of the post-traumatic degeneration of the spinal cord cells is caused by the secondary mechanism. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the anti-inflammatory property of valproic acid (VPA) on injured spinal cords (SC). The rats with the contused SC received intraperitoneal single injection of VPA (150, 200, 300, 400 or 500 mg/kg) at 2, 6, 12 and 24 h post-injury. Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) test and H-reflex evaluated the functional outcome for 12 weeks. The SC were investigated 3 months post-injury using morphometry and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) expression. Reduction in cavitation, H/M ratio, BBB scores and GFAP expression in the treatment groups were significantly more than that of the untreated one (P < 0.05). The optimal improvement in the condition of the contused rats was in the ones treated at the acute phase of injury with 300 mg/kg of VPA at 12 h post-injury, they had the highest increase in BBB score and decrease in astrogliosis and axonal loss. We conclude that treating the contused rats with 300 mg/kg of VPA at 12 h post-injury improves the functional outcome and reduces the traumatized SC gliosis.
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Lin E, Long H, Li G, Lei W. Does diffusion tensor data reflect pathological changes in the spinal cord with chronic injury. Neural Regen Res 2014; 8:3382-90. [PMID: 25206660 PMCID: PMC4146007 DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.36.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2013] [Accepted: 11/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging has been shown to quantitatively measure the early pathological changes in chronic cervical spondylotic myelopathy. In this study, a novel spongy polyurethane material was implanted in the rat C3–5 epidural space to establish a rat model of chronic cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Diffusion tensor data were used to predict pathological changes. Results revealed that the fractional anisotropy value gradually decreased at 4, 24, and 72 hours and 1 week after injury in rat spinal cord, showing a time-dependent manner. Average diffusion coefficient increased at 72 hours and 1 week after implantation. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Luxol-fast-blue staining exhibited that the number of neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord gray matter and the nerve fiber density of the white matter gradually reduced with prolonged compression time. Neuronal loss was most significant at 1 week after injury. Results verified that the fractional anisotropy value and average diffusion coefficient reflected the degree of pathological change in the site of compression in rat models at various time points after chronic spinal cord compression injury, which potentially has a reference value in the early diagnosis of chronic cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erjian Lin
- Department of Radiology, the Eastern Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510700, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Houqing Long
- Department of Spinal Surgery, Huangpu Branch, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510700, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Guangsheng Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang 524001, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Wanlong Lei
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histoembryology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510086, Guangdong Province, China
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Diffusion tensor imaging of somatosensory tract in cervical spondylotic myelopathy and its link with electrophysiological evaluation. Spine J 2014; 14:1493-500. [PMID: 24321168 DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2013.08.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2011] [Revised: 07/24/2013] [Accepted: 08/25/2013] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT Abnormal somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) (ie, prolonged latency) has been associated with poor surgical prognosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). PURPOSE To further characterize the extent of microstructural damage to the somatosensory tract in CSM patients using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective study. PATIENT SAMPLE A total of 40 volunteers (25 healthy subjects and 15 CSM patients). OUTCOME MEASURES Clinical, electrophysiological, and radiological evaluations were performed using the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) scoring system, SEP, and cord compression ratio in anatomic magnetic resonance (MR) images, respectively. Axial diffusion MR images were taken using a pulsed gradient, spin-echo-echo-planar imaging sequence with a 3-T MR system. The diffusion indices in different regions of the spinal cord were measured. METHODS Comparison of diffusion indices among healthy and myelopathic spinal cord with intact and impaired SEP responses were performed using one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS In healthy subjects, fractional anisotropy (FA) values were higher in the dorsal (0.73±0.11) and lateral columns (0.72±0.13) than in the ventral column of white matter (0.58±0.10) (eg, at C4/5) (p<.05). FA was dramatically dropped in the dorsal (0.54±0.16) and lateral columns (0.51±0.13) with little change in the ventral column (0.48±0.15) at the compressive lesions in CSM patients. There were no significant differences in the mJOA scores or cord compression ratios between CSM patients with or without abnormal SEP. However, patients with abnormal SEP showed an FA decrease in the dorsal column cephalic to the lesion (0.56±0.06) (ie, at C1/2, compared with healthy subjects [0.66±0.02]), but the same decrease was not observed for those without a SEP abnormality (0.67±0.02). CONCLUSION Spinal tracts were not uniformly affected in the myelopathic cervical cord. Changes in diffusion indices could delineate focal or extensive myelopathic lesions in CSM, which could account for abnormal SEP. DTI analysis of spinal tracts might provide additional information not available from conventional diagnostic tools for prognosis of CSM.
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Long HQ, Xie WH, Chen WL, Xie WL, Xu JH, Hu Y. Value of micro-CT for monitoring spinal microvascular changes after chronic spinal cord compression. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:12061-73. [PMID: 25003643 PMCID: PMC4139829 DOI: 10.3390/ijms150712061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurological degeneration can occur after compression of the spinal cord. It is widely accepted that spinal cord compression leads to ischemic lesions and ultimately neurological dysfunction due to a narrowed spinal canal. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the pathogenesis of spinal cord compression injury is required to help develop effective clinical interventions. In the present study, we propose a new method of quantitative 3D micro-CT to observe microvascular events in a chronic spinal cord compression rat model. A total of 36 rats were divided into two groups: sham control group (n = 12) and compressive spinal cord injury group (n = 24). Rats were scarified at four weeks after surgery. In each group, CD34 micro-vessel immunohistochemical staining was performed in half of the animals, while micro-CT scanning was performed in the other half. Microvessel density (MVD) was measured after immunohistochemical staining, while the vascular index (VI) was measured in 3D micro-CT. In comparison with sham control, abnormal somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) can be seen in all 24 cases of the compression group, and VI shows the amount of microvessels reduced consistently and significantly (p < 0.01). A significant correlation is also found between MVD and VI (r = 0.95, p < 0.01). These data suggest that quantitative 3D micro-CT is a sensitive and promising tool for investigating microvascular changes during chronic compressive spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hou-Qing Long
- Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510000, China.
| | - Wen-Han Xie
- Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510000, China.
| | - Wen-Li Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510000, China.
| | - Wen-Lin Xie
- Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510000, China.
| | - Jing-Hui Xu
- Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510000, China.
| | - Yong Hu
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Li Kai Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China.
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Gindrat AD, Quairiaux C, Britz J, Brunet D, Lanz F, Michel CM, Rouiller EM. Whole-scalp EEG mapping of somatosensory evoked potentials in macaque monkeys. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 220:2121-42. [PMID: 24791748 PMCID: PMC4495608 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0776-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2013] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
High-density scalp EEG recordings are widely used to study whole-brain neuronal networks in humans non-invasively. Here, we validate EEG mapping of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) in macaque monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) for the long-term investigation of large-scale neuronal networks and their reorganisation after lesions requiring a craniotomy. SSEPs were acquired from 33 scalp electrodes in five adult anaesthetized animals after electrical median or tibial nerve stimulation. SSEP scalp potential maps were identified by cluster analysis and identified in individual recordings. A distributed, linear inverse solution was used to estimate the intracortical sources of the scalp potentials. SSEPs were characterised by a sequence of components with unique scalp topographies. Source analysis confirmed that median nerve SSEP component maps were in accordance with the somatotopic organisation of the sensorimotor cortex. Most importantly, SSEP recordings were stable both intra- and interindividually. We aim to apply this method to the study of recovery and reorganisation of large-scale neuronal networks following a focal cortical lesion requiring a craniotomy. As a prerequisite, the present study demonstrated that a 300-mm2 unilateral craniotomy over the sensorimotor cortex necessary to induce a cortical lesion, followed by bone flap repositioning, suture and gap plugging with calcium phosphate cement, did not induce major distortions of the SSEPs. In conclusion, SSEPs can be successfully and reproducibly recorded from high-density EEG caps in macaque monkeys before and after a craniotomy, opening new possibilities for the long-term follow-up of the cortical reorganisation of large-scale networks in macaque monkeys after a cortical lesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Dominique Gindrat
- Domain of Physiology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Sciences and Fribourg Center for Cognition, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 5, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland,
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Long HQ, Li GS, Lin EJ, Xie WH, Chen WL, Luk KDK, Hu Y. Is the speed of chronic compression an important factor for chronic spinal cord injury rat model? Neurosci Lett 2013; 545:75-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2013] [Revised: 04/05/2013] [Accepted: 04/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Vedantam A, Jirjis M, Eckhardt G, Sharma A, Schmit BD, Wang MC, Ulmer JL, Kurpad S. Diffusion tensor imaging of the spinal cord: a review. COLUNA/COLUMNA 2013. [DOI: 10.1590/s1808-18512013000100014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a magnetic resonance technique capable of measuring the magnitude and direction of water molecule diffusion in various tissues. The use of DTI is being expanded to evaluate a variety of spinal cord disorders both for prognostication and to guide therapy. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on spinal cord DTI in both animal models and humans in different neurosurgical conditions. DTI of the spinal cord shows promise in traumatic spinal cord injury, cervical spondylotic myelopathy, and intramedullary tumors. However, scanning protocols and image processing need to be refined and standardized.
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Cruz GJ, Mondragón-Lozano R, Diaz-Ruiz A, Manjarrez J, Olayo R, Salgado-Ceballos H, Olayo MG, Morales J, Alvarez-Mejía L, Morales A, Méndez-Armenta M, Plascencia N, del Carmen Fernandez M, Ríos C. Plasma polypyrrole implants recover motor function in rats after spinal cord transection. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE. MATERIALS IN MEDICINE 2012; 23:2583-2592. [PMID: 22798167 DOI: 10.1007/s10856-012-4715-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2011] [Accepted: 06/26/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We studied the use of three biocompatible materials obtained by plasma polymerization of pyrrole (PPy), pyrrole doped with iodine (PPy/I) and a copolymer formed with pyrrole and polyethylene glycol (PPy/PEG), implanted, separately, after a complete spinal cord transection in rats. Motor function assessed with the BBB scale and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in the implanted rats were studied. Results showed that the highest motor recovery was obtained in rats with PPy/I implants. They also showed a significant reduction in the latency of SEPs. Histological analyses showed no signs of implant rejection; on the contrary, implants based on PPy improved the SEPs conduction and motor function after lesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo J Cruz
- Departamento de Física, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Carr. México-Toluca, km 36.5, CP 52750 Ocoyoacac, Edo. Mex., Mexico
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Hemisection spinal cord injury in rat: the value of intraoperative somatosensory evoked potential monitoring. J Neurosci Methods 2012; 211:179-84. [PMID: 22960163 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2012] [Revised: 08/16/2012] [Accepted: 08/28/2012] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Techniques used to produce partial spinal cord injuries in animal models have the potential for creating variability in lesions. The amount of tissue affected may influence the functional outcomes assessed in the animals. The recording of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) may be a valuable tool for assessing the extent of lesion applied in animal models of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Intraoperative tibial SSEP recordings were assessed during surgically induced lateral thoracic hemisection SCI in Sprague-Dawley rats. The transmission of SSEPs, or lack thereof, was determined and compared against the integrity of the dorsal funiculi on each side of the spinal cord upon histological sectioning. An association was found between the presence of an SSEP signal and presence of intact dorsal funiculus tissue. The relative risk is 4.50 (95% confidence interval: 1.83-11.08) for having an intact dorsal funiculus when the ipsilateral SSEP was present compared to when it was absent. Additionally, the amount of spared spinal cord tissue correlates with final functional assessments at nine weeks post injury: BBB (linear regression, R²=0.618, p<0.001) and treadmill test (linear regression, R²=0.369, p=0.016). Therefore, we propose intraoperative SSEP monitoring as a valuable tool to assess extent of lesion and reduce variability between animals in experimental studies of SCI.
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Long HQ, Li GS, Hu Y, Wen CY, Xie WH. HIF-1α/VEGF signaling pathway may play a dual role in secondary pathogenesis of cervical myelopathy. Med Hypotheses 2012; 79:82-4. [PMID: 22546754 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2012.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2011] [Accepted: 04/01/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is one of the most common spinal cord disorders affecting the elderly. Yet the exact pathophysiology of CSM remains unclear. Vascular response to initial mechanical compression and associated ischemia may involve in secondary pathophysiology. Chronic compressive lesions to cervical cord resulting in lack of perfusion have established considerable evidences to support ischemia as an important pathogenesis both in patients and animal models, a similarity as that of acute spinal cord injury (SCI). In hypoxic condition following SCI, the up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is consistent with increasing hypoxia induced factor-1α (HIF-1α) in acute periods. HIF-1α/VEGF signaling pathway is thought to play a dual role following SCI. In one hand, VEGF was demonstrated to be correlated with angiogenesis (protecting vascular endothelial cells, increasing blood vessel density and improving regional blood flow), neurogenesis (antiapoptotic, neurotrophic, attenuate axonal degradation), and locomotor ability improvement. In other hand, some studies revealed that VEGF have limited therapeutic effect, even exacerbate the secondary damage following SCI. VEGF administrations in acute or subacute periods result in elevation of blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) permeability even last for chronic course. BSCB permeability elevation initiates a secondary cascade of events involving excitotoxicity, infiltration of leukocytes and tissue edema. With comprehensive understanding of temporal and spatial of HIF-1α/VEGF signaling pathway, development of therapeutic strategies to promote new vessel growth while minimize the deleterious effects of VEGF-induced microvascular permeability, and thereby improve neurologic function, seems to be feasible and promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hou-Qing Long
- Department of Spinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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Wang J, Rong W, Hu X, Liu X, Jiang L, Ma Y, Dang G, Liu Z, Wei F. Hyaluronan tetrasaccharide in the cerebrospinal fluid is associated with self-repair of rats after chronic spinal cord compression. Neuroscience 2012; 210:467-80. [PMID: 22450230 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2012] [Revised: 03/07/2012] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to explore changes in hyaluronan levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in a spinal cord compression model, to investigate whether hyaluronan tetrasaccharide was involved in this process, and to test the effects of hyaluronan tetrasaccharide on neuron and oligodendrocyte repair. We developed a chronic spinal cord compression model with various sizes of polymer sheets (1.5×0.7×0.3 mm(3); 5×1.5×0.7 mm(3)) that were implanted microsurgically underneath the C(5-6) laminae. The rats were divided into three groups: a sham group, a mildly compressed (MC) group, and a widely compressed (WC) group. Locomotor functional evaluations revealed that the behavioral function of the MC and WC groups dropped to their lowest level from the fourth to fifth week and gradually recovered thereafter. The hyaluronan levels in the CSF gradually increased after spinal cord compression. Furthermore, hyaluronan tetrasaccharide was involved in the hyaluronan change. In addition, we found that nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and cellular inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein 2 (c-IAP(2)) were co-expressed in neurons and oligodendrocytes, and caspase-3 expression gradually decreased in the compression model. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was upregulated in astrocytes at the fourth week post-compression. Hyaluronan tetrasaccharide (HA(4)) induced NF-κB and c-IAP(2) to suppress the H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis in primary neuronal cultures and increased BDNF and VEGF expression in astrocytic cultures in vitro. These findings suggest that HA(4) in the CSF may associate with behavioral recovery by increasing the levels of NF-κB, c-IAP(2), and neurotrophic factors after chronic spinal cord compression.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
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Current World Literature. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care 2012; 6:109-25. [DOI: 10.1097/spc.0b013e328350f70c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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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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