The Impact of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Functional and Structural Plasticity in Rats With Spinal Cord Injury

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Regenerative Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes significant sensory and motor function loss.
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) shows promise in alleviating SCI symptoms.
• Establishing a reproducible rat model is crucial for studying SCI interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a reproducible rat model of SCI.
• To investigate HBOT's impact on brain neuronal activity in SCI rats using rs-fMRI.
• To assess HBOT's effect on neuromotor function recovery and underlying brain changes.

Main Methods:

• Prospective randomized controlled animal trial with 27 female SD rats (sham, SCI, HBO groups).
• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to analyze regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC).
• Histopathological analysis of Nissl body, NeuN, and caspase-3 expression; correlation with behavioral (BBB scale) assessments.

Main Results:

• SCI led to reduced ReHo in somatosensory and limbic areas; HBOT reversed these changes.
• HBOT increased FC between the motor cortex and other brain regions, aiding motor recovery.
• HBOT reduced apoptotic proteins, increased neuron count, and protected neuronal function, correlating positively with motor function scores.

Conclusions:

• HBOT promotes functional and structural brain plasticity following SCI.
• HBOT facilitates neuromotor function recovery in SCI rats.
• rs-fMRI and histopathology reveal HBOT's neuroprotective and restorative effects in SCI.