Descending systems contributing to locomotor recovery after mild or moderate spinal cord injury in rats: experimental evidence and a review of literature.
OBJECTIVE
Locomotor recovery after spinal cord contusion injury (SCI) may be mediated by descending axons spared at the lesion epicenter. Greater axonal sparing is associated with more extensive recovery. Therefore, we identified the source and relative proportion of spared axons associated with extensive or limited locomotor recovery after SCI.


METHODS
Female Sprague Dawley rats underwent mild or moderate SCI using the OSU device.


RESULTS
Locomotor recovery was greater for the mild than moderate group with the primary differences being restitution of limb coordination, very little toe dragging and minor paw rotation.


CONCLUSIONS
The following brain nuclei with substantial neuronal labeling after mild but not moderate SCI may play an important role in locomotor recovery: raphe pallidus and magnus, ventral medullary and pontine reticular formation, lateral vestibular nucleus, red nucleus and locus coeruleus. We review the normal anatomical distribution of descending systems to the lumbar cord in rat and the role they play in motor control.
Basso
D Michele
DM
Division of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Medical Professions, The Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. basso.2@osu.edu
Beattie
Michael S
MS
Bresnahan
Jacqueline C
JC
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012012:Red Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D012154:Reticular Formation / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013266:Stilbamidines; D014726:Vestibular Nuclei / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
C049774:2-hydroxy-4,4'-diamidinostilbene, methanesulfonate salt; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D013266:Stilbamidines