Experimental kyphoscoliosis induced in rats by selective brain stem damage

The relationship between damage to particular brain stem nuclei related to postural control and equilibrium and the occurrence of spinal deformity has been investigated. The model used was the Wistar albino rat and the brain stem structures damaged were the gracillis nucleus, the superior colliculus and the lateral vestibular nucleus. Out of 60 brain stem damaged animals, 44 had accurate lesions from which 11 (25%) showed kyphoscoliotic deformities. Rats with spinal deformity showed an imbalance of the paraspinal muscles when assessed by EMG; this was expressed by an increase of muscular activity on the convex side. This study indicates that postural dysfunction caused by brain stem damage may induce kyphoscoliosis in experimental animals and could be one of the underlying mechanisms in the production of human idiopathic scoliosis.