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Regniez M, Dufort-Gervais J, Provost C, Mongrain V, Martinez M. Characterization of Sleep, Emotional, and Cognitive Functions in a New Rat Model of Concomitant Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injuries. J Neurotrauma 2024; 41:1044-1059. [PMID: 37885242 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2023.0387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic injuries to the spinal cord or the brain have serious medical consequences and lead to long-term disability. The epidemiology, medical complications, and prognosis of isolated spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been well described. However, there are limited data on patients suffering from concurrent SCI and TBI, even if a large proportion of SCI patients have concomitant TBI. The complications associated with this "dual-diagnosis" such as cognitive or behavioral dysfunction are well known in the rehabilitation setting, but evidence-based and standardized approaches for diagnosis and treatment are lacking. Our goal was to develop and characterize a pre-clinical animal model of concurrent SCI and TBI to help identifying "dual-diagnosis" tools. Female rats received a unilateral contusive SCI at the thoracic level alone (SCI group) or combined with a TBI centered on the contralateral sensorimotor cortex (SCI-TBI group). We first validated that the SCI extent was comparable between SCI-TBI and SCI groups, and that hindlimb function was impaired. We characterized various neurological outcomes, including locomotion, sleep architecture, brain activity during sleep, depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors, and working memory. We report that SCI-TBI and SCI groups show similar impairments in global locomotor function. While wake/sleep amount and distribution and anxiety- and depression-like symptoms were not affected in SCI-TBI and SCI groups in comparison to the control group (laminectomy and craniotomy only), working memory was impaired only in SCI-TBI rats. This pre-clinical model of concomitant SCI and TBI, including more severe variations of it, shows a translational value for the identification of biomarkers to refine the "dual-diagnosis" of neurotrauma in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Regniez
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montreal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Recherche CIUSSS-NIM, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | | | - Valérie Mongrain
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montreal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Recherche CIUSSS-NIM, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Research Center of the CHUM, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Marina Martinez
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montreal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Recherche CIUSSS-NIM, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur la Signalisation Neurale et la Circuiterie, Université de Montreal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage, Université de Montreal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Wu Z, Feng K, Huang J, Ye X, Yang R, Huang Q, Jiang Q. Brain region changes following a spinal cord injury. Neurochem Int 2024; 174:105696. [PMID: 38354751 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2024.105696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Brain-related complications are common in clinical practice after spinal cord injury (SCI); however, the molecular mechanisms of these complications are still unclear. Here, we reviewed the changes in the brain regions caused by SCI from three perspectives: imaging, molecular analysis, and electrophysiology. Imaging studies revealed abnormal functional connectivity, gray matter volume atrophy, and metabolic abnormalities in brain regions after SCI, leading to changes in the structure and function of brain regions. At the molecular level, chemokines, inflammatory factors, and damage-associated molecular patterns produced in the injured area were retrogradely transmitted through the corticospinal tract, cerebrospinal fluid, or blood circulation to the specific brain area to cause pathologic changes. Electrophysiologic recordings also suggested abnormal changes in brain electrical activity after SCI. Transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, and deep brain stimulation alleviated pain and improved motor function in patients with SCI; therefore, transcranial therapy may be a new strategy for the treatment of patients with SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwu Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ganzhou People's Hospital (Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University), 16th Mei-guan Avenue, Ganzhou, 341000, China
| | - Kaiming Feng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ganzhou People's Hospital (Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University), 16th Mei-guan Avenue, Ganzhou, 341000, China
| | - Jinqing Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ganzhou People's Hospital (Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University), 16th Mei-guan Avenue, Ganzhou, 341000, China
| | - Xinyun Ye
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ganzhou People's Hospital (Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University), 16th Mei-guan Avenue, Ganzhou, 341000, China
| | - Ruijin Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ganzhou People's Hospital (Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University), 16th Mei-guan Avenue, Ganzhou, 341000, China
| | - Qianliang Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ganzhou People's Hospital (Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University), 16th Mei-guan Avenue, Ganzhou, 341000, China.
| | - Qiuhua Jiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ganzhou People's Hospital (Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University), 16th Mei-guan Avenue, Ganzhou, 341000, China.
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Peplow PV. Animal models in medical translation: the grand challenge of developing new treatments for human diseases. FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 2024; 6:1367521. [PMID: 38435848 PMCID: PMC10904654 DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2024.1367521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Philip V. Peplow
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Duguay M, Bonizzato M, Delivet-Mongrain H, Fortier-Lebel N, Martinez M. Uncovering and leveraging the return of voluntary motor programs after paralysis using a bi-cortical neuroprosthesis. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 228:102492. [PMID: 37414352 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Rehabilitative and neuroprosthetic approaches after spinal cord injury (SCI) aim to reestablish voluntary control of movement. Promoting recovery requires a mechanistic understanding of the return of volition over action, but the relationship between re-emerging cortical commands and the return of locomotion is not well established. We introduced a neuroprosthesis delivering targeted bi-cortical stimulation in a clinically relevant contusive SCI model. In healthy and SCI cats, we controlled hindlimb locomotor output by tuning stimulation timing, duration, amplitude, and site. In intact cats, we unveiled a large repertoire of motor programs. After SCI, the evoked hindlimb lifts were highly stereotyped, yet effective in modulating gait and alleviating bilateral foot drag. Results suggest that the neural substrate underpinning motor recovery had traded-off selectivity for efficacy. Longitudinal tests revealed that the return of locomotion after SCI was correlated with recovery of the descending drive, which advocates for rehabilitation interventions directed at the cortical target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maude Duguay
- Département de Neurosciences and Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage (CIRCA), Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Marco Bonizzato
- Département de Neurosciences and Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage (CIRCA), Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Electrical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Hugo Delivet-Mongrain
- Département de Neurosciences and Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage (CIRCA), Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Nicolas Fortier-Lebel
- Département de Neurosciences and Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage (CIRCA), Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Marina Martinez
- Département de Neurosciences and Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage (CIRCA), Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada; CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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Bakalkin G. The left-right side-specific endocrine signaling in the effects of brain lesions: questioning of the neurological dogma. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:545. [PMID: 36219330 PMCID: PMC9553812 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04576-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Each cerebral hemisphere is functionally connected to the contralateral side of the body through the decussating neural tracts. The crossed neural pathways set a basis for contralateral effects of brain injury such hemiparesis and hemiplegia as it has been already noted by Hippocrates. Recent studies demonstrated that, in addition to neural mechanisms, the contralateral effects of brain lesions are mediated through the humoral pathway by neurohormones that produce either the left or right side-specific effects. The side-specific humoral signaling defines whether the left or right limbs are affected after a unilateral brain injury. The hormonal signals are released by the pituitary gland and may operate through their receptors that are lateralized in the spinal cord and involved in the side-specific control of symmetric neurocircuits innervating the left and right limbs. Identification of features and a proportion of neurological deficits transmitted by neurohormonal signals vs. those mediated by neural pathways is essential for better understanding of mechanisms of brain trauma and stroke and development of new therapies. In a biological context, the left–right side-specific neuroendocrine signaling may be fundamental for the control of the left- and right-sided processes in bilaterally symmetric animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgy Bakalkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Box 591, SE-751 24, Uppsala, Sweden.
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