Academic Journal
A simple method for identifying latent spasticity following compressive spinal cord injury by provoking clonic contractions of the hindpaw- and back musculature in rats.
| Τίτλος: | A simple method for identifying latent spasticity following compressive spinal cord injury by provoking clonic contractions of the hindpaw- and back musculature in rats. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Zamfirov M; Faculty of Educational Studies and the Arts, Sofia University, 69A Shipchenski Prohod Str, Sofia, 1574, Bulgaria; Center with an Autism Research Laboratory, Faculty of Educational Studies and Arts Sofia University 'St. Kliment Ohridski', Bulgaria., Rink-Notzon S; Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 20, Cologne, 50931, Germany., Sarikcioglu L; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Dumlupınar Bulvarı Kampüs, Antalya, 07058, Turkey., Manthou ME; Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Medical School, Aristotle University Thessaloniki, University Campus, Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece., Belenska-Todorova L; Department of Biology, Medical Genetics, and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Sofia University, 'St. Kliment Ohridski', Kozyak Str. 1, Sofia, 1407, Bulgaria., Angelov DN; Department of Molecular and Translational Neurosciences, Institute of Anatomy II, Cluster of Excellence-Cellular Stress Response in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), Center of Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMK), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 20, Cologne, 50931, Germany. Electronic address: angelov.anatomie@uni-koeln.de. |
| Πηγή: | Annals of anatomy = Anatomischer Anzeiger : official organ of the Anatomische Gesellschaft [Ann Anat] 2026 Oct; Vol. 268, pp. 153364. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 29. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: G. Fischer Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 100963897 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1618-0402 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09409602 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Ann Anat Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Jena [Germany] ; New York : G. Fischer, c1992- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Spinal Cord Injuries*/complications , Spinal Cord Injuries*/physiopathology , Spinal Cord Injuries*/pathology , Muscle Spasticity*/diagnosis , Muscle Spasticity*/etiology , Muscle Spasticity*/physiopathology , Muscle Spasticity*/pathology , Muscle Contraction*/physiology , Back Muscles*/physiopathology, Hindlimb/physiopathology ; Muscle, Skeletal/physiopathology ; Animals ; Rats ; Female ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal |
| Περίληψη: | Spasticity after spinal cord injury (SCI) encompasses increased muscle tone, exaggerated tendon reflexes, muscle spasms, and involuntary rhythmic contractions (clonus) elicited by rapid muscle stretch. It develops in about two thirds of all patients within the first-year post-injury and often causes severe functional impairments. In rodent models, however, post-SCI spasticity period is frequently subtle or overlooked due to overlapping with central neuropathic pain symptoms such as reduced locomotor activity and paresis. Here we describe a simple and reproducible method to reveal latent spasticity in rats with incomplete thoracic SCI, which we discovered during treatment with passive flexion and extension (PFE) of their hindpaws. These observations were correlated with electrophysiological and histological assessments. In about half of the treated animals PFE provoked 2-3 powerful clonic contractions of the back- and hindpaw musculature. These responses were robust and clearly distinguishable from voluntary movements. Histological analysis of the lumbar enlargement ("below level") in clonus-positive rats revealed a marked reduction in vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) immunofluorescence intensity in the deep dorsal horn interneurons (DDHI) compared to non-reactive animals. This provocation-based approach provides a straightforward and reliable essay for identifying latent spasticity following SCI. It may serve as a valuable tool for investigating the underlying mechanisms of SCI-related spasticity and for evaluating therapeutic interventions in preclinical models. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Clonic contractions; Electrophysiology; Histology; Passive flexion and extension; Rat; Spinal cord injury |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260829 Date Completed: 20260911 Latest Revision: 20260911 |
| Update Code: | 20260912 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.aanat.2026.153364 |
| PMID: | 42668126 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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