Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to severe disability, paralysis, neurological deficits and even death. In humans, most spinal cord injuries are caused by transient compression or contusion of the spinal cord associated with motor vehicle accidents. Animal models of contusion mimic the typical SCI's found in humans and these models are key to the discovery of progressive secondary tissue damage, demyelination, and apoptosis as well as pathophysiological mechanisms post SCI. Here we describe a method for the establishment of an efficient and reproducible contusion model of SCI in adult rat.