Spinal Cord Injuries: Principles and Methods for Outcome Assessment

Animal models are indispensable for research on central nervous system disorders and particularly relevant and useful in spinal cord injury (SCI) research. In contrast to neurodegenerative diseases, trauma inflicted to animals is inherently similar (albeit not identical) to the situation after trauma in human beings. There are still many factors to consider when the choice of animal model is to be made. How should the injury be induced? At what segmental level? Which parameters can be evaluated? Ultimately, the purpose of the study should be defined before an animal model is chosen. Assessing acute and chronic structural changes, studying motor and sensory functions after injury, and evaluating treatments such as protective drugs or substances enhancing regeneration all place different demands on the animal model and how results from the model are interpreted. With a focus on small animal (rodent) models of SCI, we give a background on pathology and pathophysiology, review the most common rodent injury models and functional tests used, present examples of experimental studies using various methods, and discuss difficulties in translating results from animal models to the clinical situation.