Approachability and Sensory Changes Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Pigs

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Translational Medicine
• Animal Models

Background:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant global health issue with lasting sensory and behavioral effects.
• Minipigs offer a valuable model for TBI research due to brain similarities, but their specific injury sequelae require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate behavioral and sensory changes in minipigs following central fluid percussion injury (cFPI).
• To assess sex-specific differences in response to TBI in a minipig model.

Main Methods:

• Adult male and female Yucatan minipigs underwent either sham or cFPI.
• Behavioral changes were assessed using a forced human approach task (FHAT).
• Sensory changes were evaluated via mechanical nociception testing using the von Frey test.

Main Results:

• cFPI affected approachability in a sex-specific manner, influenced by experimenter familiarity.
• Mechanical sensitivity was reduced on the ear in males and on the tail in females post-cFPI.
• These behavioral and sensory alterations were observed up to one week after injury.

Conclusions:

• Central fluid percussion injury induces significant behavioral and sensory deficits in minipigs.
• The findings highlight sex-specific responses to TBI in this preclinical model.
• This study contributes to understanding TBI sequelae in translational research models.