Locomotor Behavior Analysis in Spinal Cord Injured Macaca radiata after Predegenerated Peripheral Nerve Grafting—A Preliminary Evidence

This study explores a potential treatment for spinal cord injuries using predegenerated nerve grafts in monkeys. The researchers trained monkeys to walk on special runways before and after injuring their spinal cords. One group received nerve grafts, while the other did not, to see if the grafts improved their walking ability. The monkeys' walking skills were assessed on staircase and grid runways. Researchers observed how well the monkeys recovered their ability to walk after the spinal cord injury and whether the nerve grafts made a difference. The results indicated that the nerve grafts did not significantly improve the monkeys' walking ability. The monkeys in both groups showed similar recovery patterns, suggesting that the predegenerated nerve grafts were not effective in this particular experiment.

• 1
  All operated monkeys showed significant deficits in locomotion on runways at the early postoperative period.
• 2
  The walking ability of operated monkeys was found to be gradually improved, and they recovered nearer to preoperative level at the fourth postoperative month, and there were no marked differences.
• 3
  The results demonstrate that there were no significant improvements in the locomotion of monkeys on runways after the delayed grafting of nerve segments until one year later.