AUTHOR=Osimanjiang Wupu , Allgood JuliAnne E. , Van Sandt Rae L. , Burns Daniel T. , Bushman Jared S. 

TITLE=Sexual Dimorphism in Lesion Size and Sensorimotor Responses Following Spinal Cord Injury

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.925797

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2022.925797

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating disorder which impacts the lives of millions of people around the world with no clinically standardized treatment. Both pro-recovery and anti-recovery factors contribute to overall outcome after the initial SCI insult. Sex is emerging as an important variable which can affect recovery post-SCI. Contusion SCI at T10 was generated on male and female rats. Open field BBB behavioural test, Von Frey test and CatWalk gate analysis were performed. Histological analysis was performed at the end point of 45 days post SCI. Male/female differences on sensorimotor function recovery, lesion size and recruitment of immune cells to lesion area were measured. A less severe male injury group was included to compare outcomes for severity. Our results show both sexes of the same injury level plateaued at a similar final score for locomotor function. Less severe injury group males recovered faster and plateaued at a higher BBB score compared to more severe injury group. Von Frey tests show faster recovery of sensory function for females compared to both male groups. All three groups exhibited reduced mechanical response thresholds after SCI. Lesion area for male group with severe injury was significantly larger than females, as well as males of less severe injury. No significant differences on immune cell recruitment were identified comparing all three groups. Faster sensorimotor recovery and significantly smaller lesion area in females potentially indicates neuroprotection against secondary injury is a likely reason for sex dependent differences on functional outcomes after SCI.