Animal Models of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most frequent causes of disability, accompanied by motor and postural impairments, as well as autonomic and behavioural disorders. Since the beginning of the last century, researchers have been developing and refining experimental models of SCI to study pathogenesis and find therapies. Since the beginning of the 20th century, quite a wide range of methods have been developed for contusion and compression injury, complete and partial transection of the spinal cord, and many others. The choice of model subject in such studies was not limited to mammals, but also included amphibians, lampreys, and even fish. Many functional tests have been proposed to assess functional recovery after injury in laboratory animals, ranging from simple rating scales to locomotion kinematics or recording of spinal neuronal activity. This review describes existing models of SCI in most animal species used in neurobiology. Their key characteristics are discussed, which determine the choice of model and model animals depending on the experimental tasks. Each experimental model of SCI has its own advantages and disadvantages determined by species-specific features of spinal cord anatomy and physiology, the speed of recovery from injury, and the ratio of the necrosis zone to the penumbra. The applicability and availability of the proposed methods for assessing the speed and completeness of recovery is also an important factor.