title: Dynamic secondary degeneration in the spinal cord and ventral root after a focal cerebral infarction among hypertensive rats.
abstract: Cerebral infarction can cause secondary damage to nonischemic brain regions. However, whether this phenomenon will appear in central nervous system regions outside the brain remains unclear. Here we investigated pathological changes in the spinal cord and ventral root after ischemic stroke. All rats exhibited apparent neurological deficits post-MCAO, which improved gradually but could still be detected 12-weeks. Neuronal filaments in the corticospinal tract (CST) and neurons in the ventral horn were significantly declined in the contralateral cervical and lumbar enlargement 1-week post-MCAO. These decreases remained stable until 12-weeks, accompanied by progressively increased glial activation in the ventral horn. Axonal degeneration and structural derangement were evident in the contralateral cervical and lumbar ventral root 1-week post-MCAO; these changes spontaneously attenuated over time, but abnormalities could still be observed 12-weeks. The number of neural fibers in the contralateral CST and neurons in the contralateral ventral horn were positively correlated with neurological scores 12-weeks post-MCAO. Additionally, GFAP(+)cell density in the contralateral CST and ventral horn was negatively correlated with neurological scores. Our results suggest that cerebral infarction can elicit secondary degeneration in the cervical and lumbar spinal cord, as well as the projecting ventral root, which may hamper functional recovery after stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Ge
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Xinran
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Yicong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Yuhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Fubing
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Jinsheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D020303:Rats, Inbred Dahl; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors