Spontaneous functional full recovery from motor and sensory deficits in adult mice after mild spinal cord injury
Yohei Kakuta,
Anna Adachi,
Marino Yokohama,
Toshiki Horii,
Tokue Mieda,
Yoichi Iizuka,
Kenji Takagishi,
Hirotaka Chikuda,
Haku Iizuka,
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Affiliations
Yohei Kakuta
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan; Corresponding author.
Anna Adachi
Department of Laboratory Sciences, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
Marino Yokohama
Department of Laboratory Sciences, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
Toshiki Horii
Department of Laboratory Sciences, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
Tokue Mieda
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
Yoichi Iizuka
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
Kenji Takagishi
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Saint-Pierre Hospital, 786-7, Kamisano-machi, Takasaki, Gunma, 370-0857, Japan
Hirotaka Chikuda
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
Haku Iizuka
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Department of Laboratory Sciences, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
The extent of spontaneous recovery in patients with a spinal cord injury (SCI) has not been thoroughly investigated. It is essentially not known whether SCI animals exhibit full recovery from both motor and sensory deficits as well. Here, we developed an appropriate condition to produce a mild SCI in mice. Mice given a mild contusion SCI showed transient low performances in the Basso Mouse Scale for locomotion (BMS), rotarod and beam walking tests after the SCI, which was followed by complete restoration in a short time. The SCI mice also showed functional full recovery from low sensitivity to light touch using dynamic touch test. Nevertheless, the fully-recovered SCI mice still exhibited significant loss of myelin in the spinal cord. These results suggest a high potential of adaptation of motor and sensory systems in mice and might provide insight into the prognoses of SCI patients.
