Establishment of a rat model of chronic thoracolumbar cord compression with a flat plastic screw

Neural Regeneration Research, 2016 · DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.184496 · Published: June 1, 2016

Spinal Cord Injury Neurology Research Methodology & Design

Simple Explanation

This study created a rat model to mimic long-term spinal cord compression in the lower back, similar to what elderly individuals experience. A special plastic screw was inserted between the vertebrae of rats, and gradually tightened over several weeks to compress the spinal cord. The researchers then monitored the rats' motor function, used CT scans to visualize the spinal cord, measured electrical signals in the brain, and examined spinal cord tissue under a microscope. This allowed them to assess the effects of chronic compression. The rat model developed in this study will help to better understand the mechanisms of chronic thoracolumbar spinal cord compression, and will be useful in the development of new treatments.

Study Duration

8 weeks follow up

Participants

45 Sprague-Dawley rats

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Progressive screw compression successfully induced chronic thoracolumbar spinal cord injury in rats, as evidenced by motor function decline and stenosis.
2
Micro-CT scans showed severe stenosis of the spinal cord following screw insertion.
3
Electrophysiological studies revealed reduced amplitudes and prolonged latencies of cortical somatosensory evoked potentials after surgery.

Research Summary

This study aimed to improve animal models of chronic thoracolumbar cord compression using a progressive screw method. 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 incrementally over 4 weeks to create different levels of chronic spinal cord compression, which was then evaluated using motor function assessment, micro-CT, electrophysiological examination, and histopathological evaluation. The results indicated that the progressive screw compression method successfully created an appropriate rat model of chronic thoracolumbar cord compression, simulating spinal cord compression injury.

Practical Implications

Drug development

This model can be used for testing novel therapeutic interventions for thoracolumbar spinal cord compression, such as drug treatments.

Surgical timing

The model may provide experimental data for determining the optimal timing of surgical decompression in patients with chronic thoracolumbar spinal cord compression.

Understanding Pathophysiology

The model can be used to further elucidate the specific pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic thoracolumbar spinal cord compression.

Study Limitations

1
Only four levels of compression were observed.
2
Histopathological analysis was not used to quantify the cells, but crude outcomes were obtained by morphology and microscope scans.
3
Long-term follow-up of animals was not performed.

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