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Animal Models of Spinal Cord Repair pp 159–183Cite as

The Cat Model of Spinal Cord Injury

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Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 76))

Abstract

The cat can recover a robust pattern of hindlimb locomotion following partial or complete spinal cord injuries. As a result, it has been instrumental in our understanding of spinal networks controlling and regulating locomotor activity. Thanks to our feline friend, spinal cord-injured humans are now trained on a treadmill to promote the recovery of walking. This chapter highlights some of the landmark studies using the cat that have led to a better understanding of the adaptive changes that take place after spinal cord injury, as well as the underlying mechanisms governing locomotor control and recovery.

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Abbreviations

Central pattern generator (CPG):

Neuronal network that produces rhythmic activity without extraneous inputs

Pattern generator (PG):

Neuronal network that produces rhythmic activity with tonic and/or phasic sensory inputs

Spinal cat:

A cat with a complete spinal cord injury

Spinalization:

A transection or complete spinal cord injury

Spinal locomotion:

Hindlimb walking after complete spinal cord injury

AP-5:

2-Amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid

CPG:

Central pattern generator

EMG:

Electromyography

ENG:

Electroneurography

5-HT:

Serotonin

GABA:

Gamma-aminobutyric acid

L:

Lumbar

LG:

Lateral gastrocnemius

NA:

Noradrenaline

NMDA:

N-methyl-d-aspartate

PG:

Pattern generator

PICs:

Persistent inward currents

SCI:

Spinal cord injury

Srt:

Sartorius

St:

Semitendinosus

T:

Thoracic

TA:

Tibialis anterior

VL:

Vastus lateralis

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

    Alain Frigon

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  1. Alain Frigon
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Correspondence to Alain Frigon .

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  1. Biomedical Center, Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Uppsala, 751 24, Sweden

    Håkan Aldskogius

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Frigon, A. (2013). The Cat Model of Spinal Cord Injury. In: Aldskogius, H. (eds) Animal Models of Spinal Cord Repair. Neuromethods, vol 76. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-197-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-197-4_8

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

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