KSEF R&D Excellence: Purpose-Driven Research: Monitoring recovery from spinal cord injury using magnetic resonance imaging

A spinal cord injury can be devastating leaving the victim incapacitated for life. Several investigators are developing therapies for regeneration, repair, and recovery of the spinal cord following spinal neurotrauma. Sensitive, in vivo methods, to assess damage to the spinal cord or induction of repair of the damaged tissue, are not well established. This project focuses on the development of magnetic resonance imaging techniques to evaluate the extent of injury and recovery of the spinal cord in a rodent model of incomplete thoracic spinal contusion injury. Using rats injured with an NYU impactor weight drop method (moderate injury) we will image the rats before and at four time points post injury (ldpi (days post injury), 7dpi, 14dpi, and 84dpi). Multiple methods of imaging will be employed: high resolution Tl- and T2-weighted anatomical scans to measure the lesion length and spinal cord atrophy resulting ftom the injury, absolute T2, diffusion anisotropy and magnetization transfer to measure the loss of white matter; and contrast enhancement to assess the extent of the disruption of the blood-spinal cord barrier. Some animals will be euthanized at each of the different time points for histological quantification (20 f-Lslices, stained with Eriochrome cyanine R (Sigma) for myelin) of white matter sparing within the entire volume of injured tissue. Other animals will be followed for the entire duration of the study. The imaging and histology results will be correlated to behavioral measures oflocomotor function recovery. Locomotor function will be assessed using the Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan locomotor recovery score and kinematic footprint. Successful completion of this research will lead to the development of sensitive, non-invasive, in vivo tools for evaluating therapies for spinal cord injury repair and regeneration both in animal models and in humans.