Article

Animal spinal cord injury (SCI) models have proved invaluable in
better understanding the mechanisms involved in traumatic SCI and evaluating the
effectiveness of experimental therapeutic interventions. Over the past 25 years,
substantial gains have been made in developing consistent, reproducible and
reliable animal SCI models.
STUDY DESIGN: Review.
The objective of
this review was to consolidate current knowledge on SCI models and introduce
newer paradigms that are currently being developed. RESULTS: SCI models are
categorized based on the mechanism of injury into contusion, compression,
distraction, dislocation, transection or chemical models. Contusion devices
inflict a transient, acute injury to the spinal cord using a weight-drop
technique, electromagnetic impactor or air pressure. Compression devices compress
the cord at specific force and duration to cause SCI. Distraction SCI devices
inflict graded injury by controlled stretching of the cord. Mechanical
displacement of the vertebrae is utilized to produce dislocation-type SCI.
Surgical transection of the cord, partial or complete, is particularly useful in
regenerative medicine. Finally, chemically induced SCI replicates select
components of the secondary injury cascade. Although rodents remain the most
commonly used species and are best suited for preliminary SCI studies, large
animal and nonhuman primate experiments better approximate human SCI. CONCLUSION:
All SCI models aim to replicate SCI in humans as closely as possible. Given the
recent improvements in commonly used models and development of newer paradigms,
much progress is anticipated in the coming years.

Langue : ANGLAIS