TITLE:
Humane Non-Human Primate Model of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Quantitative Analysis of Electromyographic Data
AUTHORS:
Nitin Seth, Farah Masood, John B. Sledge, William A. Graham, Douglas L. Rosene, Susan Westmoreland, Shiela Macri, Ervin Sejdic, Amber Hoggatt, Heather Simmons, Hussein A. Abdullah, Shanker Nesathurai
KEYWORDS:
Spinal Cord Injury, Animal Model, Electromyography
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.5 No.7,
July
20,
2015
ABSTRACT: A valid non human primate model of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is essential to evaluate and develop new treatments. In previous experiments, it has been demonstrated that a transmitter can be implanted in the macaque fasicularis monkey that measures electromyographic data from the musculature of the tail. As well, previous experiments have demonstrated that selective lesions can be created in the lower thoracic spinal cord that does not cause limb weakness and/or bowel dysfunction. The histopathological features of these lesions appear similar to human TSCI. This paper describes a method by which the EMG data can be transformed into a quantitative metric of volitional limb movement (“Q”). This metric permits an objective assessment of injury, natural recovery as well as potential efficacy of candidate treatments.