An ovine model of spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a significant health issue, leading to substantial healthcare costs and loss of productivity. Spasticity, a common complication of SCI, affects a large percentage of patients and interferes with their daily lives. Developing effective treatments for SCI is challenging due to the complexity of the condition. Animal models are crucial for studying SCI pathophysiology and testing potential therapies. This study introduces an ovine (sheep) model of SCI to facilitate the design, testing, and translation of novel implantable neurosurgical treatment systems. Sheep were selected because the size and key anatomical features of their spine and spinal cord approximate those of humans.

• 1
  Gait analysis revealed repeatable quantitative differences in 20% of the key kinematic parameters of the sheep, pre- and post-SCI.
• 2
  Hock joint angular velocity increased toward the normal pre-injury baseline in the animal with SCS at 0.9 V.
• 3
  Spinal cord stimulation at higher intensities produced significant and observable effects on the animal’s gait, improving hock joint angular velocity.