| Objective:To establish an animal experimental focal traumatic brain injury (TBI) model for investigating the underlying mechanisms of rehabilitation.Methods:After adult SD rats had received a severe controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury,they were randomly assigned to TBI group (n=8) or sham operation group (n=8).After TBI,the neurological deficits scoring,foot-fault test and cylinder test were performed.On 21-25 days post-injury,rats were tested for spatial learning and memory in a Morris Water Maze.On 28 days post-injury,animals were sacrificed and evaluated for quantitative cortical lesion volume and pathological changes.Results:The rats in TBI group demonstrated declined neurological deficits scores,coordination and asymmetry compared to sham operation group (P<0.05).The rats in TBI group showed obvious deficits in spatial learning and memory (P<0.05).We also observed significant change in lesion volume,neuron loss and overexpression of microglia around the lesion in TBI group (P<0.05).Conclusion:Rats undergoing a severe CCI injury showed significant sensorimotor,cognitive performance impairment and pathological changes.It is suggest that the model should be useful for assessing the effects of rehabilitation in TBI. |
