title: The effect of hypothermia on sensory-motor function and tissue sparing after spinal cord injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In recent years, hypothermia has been described as a therapeutic approach that leads to potential protective effects via minimization of secondary damage consequences, reduction of neurologic deficit, and increase of motor performance after spinal cord injury (SCI) in animal models and humans.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine the therapeutic efficacy of hypothermia treatment on sensory-motor function and bladder activity outcome correlated with the white and gray matter sparing and neuronal survival after SCI in adult rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  A standardized animal model of compression SCI was used to test the hypothesis that hypothermia could have a neuroprotective effect on neural cell death and loss of white and/or gray matter.
  
  
  METHODS
  Animals underwent spinal cord compression injury at the Th8-Th9 level followed by systemic hypothermia of 32.0°C with gradual re-warming to 37.0°C. Motor function of hind limbs (BBB score) and mechanical allodynia (von Frey hair filaments) together with function of urinary bladder was monitored in all experimental animals throughout the whole survival period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Present results showed that hypothermia had beneficial effects on urinary bladder activity and on locomotor function recovery at Days 7 and 14 post-injury. Furthermore, significant increase of NeuN-positive neuron survival within dorsal and ventral horns at Days 7, 14, and 21 were documented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our conclusions suggest that hypothermia treatment may not only promote survival of neurons, which can have a significant impact on the improvement of motor and vegetative functions, but also induce mechanical allodynia.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurobiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Center of Excellence for Brain Research, Soltesovej 4, Kosice, Slovakia. Electronic address: novotna@saske.sk.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grulova
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Slovinska
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagyova
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cizek
authors.forename: Dasa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cizkova
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Functional recovery; Hypothermia; Sensory outcome; Spinal cord injury; Urinary bladder