Heinzel Johannes, Swiadek Nicole, Ashmwe Mohamed, Rührnößl Alexander, Oberhauser Viola, Kolbenschlag Jonas, Hercher David
Department of Hand-, Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, BG Trauma Center Tubingen, Eberhard Karls University; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology; Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration.
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology; Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration.
J Vis Exp. 2020 Oct 6(164). doi: 10.3791/61852.
Peripheral and central nerve injuries are mostly studied in rodents, especially rats, given the fact that these animal models are both cost-effective and a lot of comparative data has been published in the literature. This includes a multitude of assessment methods to study functional recovery following nerve injury and repair. Besides evaluation of nerve regeneration by means of histology, electrophysiology, and other in vivo and in vitro assessment techniques, functional recovery is the most important criterion to determine the degree of neural regeneration. Automated gait analysis allows recording of a vast quantity of gait-related parameters such as Paw Print Area and Paw Swing Speed as well as measures of inter-limb coordination. Additionally, the method provides digital data of the rats' paws after neuronal damage and during nerve regeneration, adding to our understanding of how peripheral and central nervous injuries affect their locomotor behavior. Besides the predominantly used sciatic nerve injury model, other models of peripheral nerve injury such as the femoral nerve can be studied by means of this method. In addition to injuries of the peripheral nervous systems, lesions of the central nervous system, e.g., spinal cord contusion can be evaluated. Valid and reproducible data assessment is strongly dependent on meticulous adjustment of the hard- and software settings prior to data acquisition. Additionally, proper training of the experimental animals is of crucial importance. This work aims to illustrate the use of computerized automated gait analysis to assess functional recovery in different animal models of peripheral nerve injury as well as spinal cord contusion injury. It also emphasizes the method's limitations, e.g., evaluation of nerve regeneration in rats with sciatic nerve neurotmesis due to limited functional recovery. Therefore, this protocol is thought to help researchers interested in peripheral and central nervous injuries to assess functional recovery in rodent models.
鉴于啮齿动物，尤其是大鼠，作为动物模型既经济高效，且已有大量比较数据发表在文献中，外周和中枢神经损伤大多在这些动物身上进行研究。这包括多种用于研究神经损伤和修复后功能恢复的评估方法。除了通过组织学、电生理学以及其他体内和体外评估技术来评估神经再生外，功能恢复是确定神经再生程度的最重要标准。自动步态分析可以记录大量与步态相关的参数，如爪印面积和爪摆动速度以及肢体间协调性的测量值。此外，该方法还能提供神经元损伤后和神经再生过程中大鼠爪子的数字数据，有助于我们了解外周和中枢神经损伤如何影响它们的运动行为。除了主要使用的坐骨神经损伤模型外，其他外周神经损伤模型，如股神经损伤模型，也可以通过这种方法进行研究。除了外周神经系统损伤外，中枢神经系统损伤，如脊髓挫伤，也可以进行评估。有效且可重复的数据评估在很大程度上依赖于数据采集前对硬件和软件设置的精心调整。此外，对实验动物进行适当的训练至关重要。这项工作旨在说明如何使用计算机化自动步态分析来评估不同外周神经损伤动物模型以及脊髓挫伤损伤后的功能恢复情况。它还强调了该方法的局限性，例如，由于功能恢复有限，难以评估坐骨神经完全断裂大鼠的神经再生情况。因此，本方案旨在帮助对外周和中枢神经损伤感兴趣的研究人员评估啮齿动物模型中的功能恢复情况。
