Regional blood flow in the chronically compressed rat spinal cord

Research Project

Project/Area Number	14571328
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Cerebral neurosurgery
Research Institution	Dokkyo University School of Medicine
Principal Investigator	OGINO Masahiro Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 講師 (80224137)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	KIM Phyo Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Professor and Chairman, 医学部, 教授 (90231290) ASAKUNO Keizo Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 講師 (00316548) KAWAMOTO Toshiki Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 講師 (50301461)
Project Period (FY)	2002 – 2003
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2003)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000) Fiscal Year 2003: ¥1,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000) Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,900,000)
Keywords	anterior column / autoradiography / blood flow / cervical spondylosis / choline acetyltransferase / immunohistochemistry / spinal cord
Research Abstract	Cervical myelopathy is a common cause of neurological disability among the elderly; however, the exact mechanism for the insidious and progressive deterioration remains to be elucidated. To study the pathophysiology, we developed a simple experimental model reproducing the course. In rats, a thin sheet of expanding polymer was implanted microsurgically underneath the C5-C6 laminae. In the control group, the polymer sheet was removed immediately. Changes in motor functions were monitored for 25 weeks after the operation, with voluntary exercise activity measured by odometer attached to revolving cages, and forced running capability measured by duration of exercise on a rotating treadmill. Motor neurons were counted stereologically in continuous sections. In the compression group, the forced running capability deteriorated after a latent period of 17 weeks and progressively thereafter. In the control group, it stayed unchanged throughout 25 weeks. Course of the voluntary exercise was comparable between the groups. Motor neuron density in the compression group decreased significantly in 9 weeks (-20.3%) and 25 weeks (-35.5%), but not in 1 or 3 weeks. This practical model properly reproduces characteristic features of the clinical cervical myelopathy, with progressive motor disturbance after a latency and insidious neuronal loss preceding the symptoms. These changes may be caused by decreased spinal cord blood flow measured by autoradiography