New Animal Model to Mimic Spastic Cerebral Palsy: The Brain-Damaged Pig Preparation

Are Spinocerebellar Tracts Responsible for Epiletogenic Activity Control?

“…In a paper we published several years ago , we tried to demonstrate that that issues of cerebellar activation could be overcome, whenever descending pathways are involved, if the cerebellum is instead indirectly activated through the spinocerebellar tracts. Our results showed that the effect of lateral spinal cord stimulation increased mean thresholds for spastic phenomena in an original animal model . We interpretated those results as caused by cerebellar activation through the spinocerebellar tracts what are quite superficial at that spinal level .…”

Molecular Mechanisms of Treadmill Therapy on Neuromuscular Atrophy Induced via Botulinum Toxin A

“…Although effort was put forth to create animal models simulating spasticity [114–117], there is currently no universally adopted free-moving animal model that can be used to mimic the spastic changes in clinical situations such as cerebral palsy or stroke [118]. In human clinical situations, a stroke may cause spasticity.…”

Lateral Cord Stimulation Decreases Spastic Electromyographic Spreading: Responses in a Brain-Damaged Pig Preparation

“…These 12 pigs were the remaining specimens of our animal model of chronic brain lesions that was created for this experiment (23). These animals were, on average, re‐operated on at 7.2 days after the previous operation, as described within that paper (23). During the immediate postoperative period, all animals received paracetamol, 50 mg/kg/day, for analgesia.…”

“…We created a new model in pigs to closely simulate cortical and subcortical lesions that are produced by perinatal anoxic brain damage that is present in spastic cerebral palsy. Surgical lesions were produced by means of resection of the rolandic and perirolandic areas (cortical lesion) and aspiration and coagulation of white matter and deep gray nuclei, resulting in an anatomic and pathologic situation similar to that seen in human spastic cerebral palsy (23). Cranial surgery was performed by means of a right arciform unilateral incision, extending from the supraorbital to the retroauricular region.…”

“…After re‐opening of the previous lumbar surgical wound made during the creation of the experimental model (23), two needle electrodes were placed into the rectus femoris (quadriceps) muscle supplied by the fourth lumbar root, and into the semitendinous muscle innervated by the seventh lumbar root for EMG recording. The left fourth lumbar root was located by EMG recording on the quadriceps muscle and was secured with clamps.…”