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~300,000 people are living with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in the U.S., and SCIs are among the leading causes of permanent disability among young adults.
At PsychoGenics, we specialize in the thoracic contusion model of spinal cord injury (SCI), recently validated in collaboration with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. As the first standardized T8 thoracic contusion model for SCI research, this innovative approach is revolutionizing therapeutic testing—accelerating discovery while enhancing cost-effectiveness and scalability.
- Reliable reproduction of mild, moderate, and severe mid-thoracic SCI lesions with recovery patterns matching lesion severity.
- Locomotor outcomes ranging from loss of hind limb weight support in severe cases to subtle gait changes in mild cases.
- Distinct sensory recovery profiles, including increased cold and mechanical sensitivity and severity-linked mechanical allodynia.
- Histological assessments of the SCI lesion and spare tissue.
Model Validation
Gross Locomotion Decreased with SCI Severity
The Basso Beattie Bresnahan Locomotor Score (BBB) for SCI rats with varying injury severity.
Sensormotor Function Impacted by SCI Severity
The number of hindlimb errors while crossing a horizontal ladder were increased as the injury severity increased from mild to severe.
Gait Changes in SCI Rats
Gait parameters were captured using our proprietary fully automated NeuroCube gait analysis platform. (A) Walking Speed was decreased starting 3 weeks post injury in the moderate and sever SCI rats but not in the mild SCI rats (170 Kdyn). (B) Paw print counts reflects the frequency of weighted steps in SCI rats. Hindlimb (HL) paw prints decreased as SCI severity increased starting 3 weeks post injury.
(A,B) Forelimb (FL) and HL paw position with respect from the body center was increased in SCI rats. (C) Similarly HL base of support increased in all SCI groups except for the most severe compared to sham rats.
Hindlimb swing duration increased with SCI severity in a graded manner. Conversely, Frontlimb swing duration decreased in SCI rats.
Neuropathic Pain Development
(A) SCI rats showed increased mechanical allodynia as measured by Von Frey filaments starting at 3 weeks post injury. (B) Similarly, SCI rats showed increased cold allodynia as measured by the acetone test 5 weeks post injury.
Evaluation of Lesion Spare Tissue
Lesioned area at the SCI epicenter increased with SCI severity. Similarly, the volume of spared white matter decreased with SCI severity. Unlike lesion area, white matter sparing was not affected by the addition of a dwell time during the SCI surgery.