Multiple Head Rotations Result in Persistent Gait Alterations in Piglets

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomechanical Engineering
• Pediatric Traumatology

Background:

• Multiple/repeated mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in young children can lead to lasting gait impairments and disrupt motor control development.
• Understanding the long-term effects of pediatric TBI is crucial for effective intervention and rehabilitation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish reference ranges (RR) for gait parameters to validate injury and monitor recovery in a juvenile swine model of mTBI.
• To assess gait pattern alterations following single and multiple sagittal rapid non-impact head rotations (RNR) in young swine.

Main Methods:

• Gait patterns were analyzed in four groups of 4-week-old Yorkshire swine: healthy, anesthesia-only sham, single RNR injury, and multiple (5x) RNR injury.
• Data were collected pre-injury and at 1, 4, and 7 days post-injury, with RR validation using additional healthy animals.
• Key gait parameters included gait time, cycle time, stance time, gait velocity, cadence, and stride length.

Main Results:

• Repeated mTBI significantly increased gait time, cycle time, and stance time, while decreasing gait velocity and cadence on Day One post-injury.
• These gait alterations persisted significantly at Days Four and Seven post-injury, with repeated TBI metrics falling outside the healthy RR.
• Single RNR injury showed a transient bilateral decrease in hind stride length at Day Four, while repeated injuries caused more widespread and persistent gait deficits.

Conclusions:

• Repeated and single sagittal TBI in a juvenile porcine model significantly impair motor performance.
• Gait metrics are reliable, objective, and quantitative functional assessments for evaluating TBI in pediatric models.
• This study highlights the potential for long-term motor deficits following pediatric TBI and the utility of gait analysis in assessing severity and recovery.